The Quest for Well-being in Growth Industries 2: The Survey

This working paper reports the ongoing research conducted in the research project, The Quest for Well-being in Growth Industries: A Collaborative Study in Finland and Scotland, under the auspices of Academy of Finland research programme, The Future of Work and Well-being. The research project examines the contradictory pressures for policies and practices towards both the inhibition and the enhancement of work-related well-being that are likely in growth industries. The overall aim is to evaluate the development, implementation and use of work-related well-being policies in four selected growth industries. These – electronics, care, finance and accounting, and tourism – have been selected on the basis of EU and national forecasts, and demographic and socio-economic trends in standard and non-standard employment. In this paper we aim to review the survey that constitutes the second main phase of this research.

Dislocation characterization in crystals of potash alum grown by seeded solution growth under conditions of low supersaturation

An analysis has been carried out of the genesis and character of growth dislocations present in all growth sectors of single crystals of potash alum. The crystals, grown from seeded solutions by the temperature lowering method under conditions of low supersaturation, presented the well-developed forms: {111} dominant, {100} and {110}. Growth dislocations formed predominately during refacetting of the edges and corners of the seed, rounded during preparation and insertion into the supersaturated solution. From here they become refracted into the {111} sectors which proved to be the most defective. Smaller numbers of dislocations form at the {111}, {100} and {110} seed interfaces and propagate in these sectors. In crystals of inferior quality, a number of inclusions were found predominantly in the fast growing {100} sectors which become the source of additional dislocations. Dislocations present in the original seed did not propagate across the interface into the developing crystal. Dislocations of all characters were observed. The principal Burgers vectors were found to be left angle bracket100right-pointing angle bracket, left angle bracket110right-pointing angle bracket and left angle bracket111right-pointing angle bracket.

Effect of size, morphology and crystallinity of seed crystal on the nucleation and growth of single grain Y-Ba-Cu-O

The effect of size, morphology and crystallinity of seed crystals on the nucleation and growth of large grain Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) bulk superconductors fabricated by top seeded melt growth (TSMG) has been investigated. Seeding bulk samples with small, square shaped seed crystals leads to point nucleation and growth of the superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-y (Y-123) phase that exhibits the usual square habitual growth symmetry. The use of triangular and circular shaped seed crystals, however, modifies significantly the growth habit geometry of the grain. The use of large area seeds both increases the rate of epitaxial nucleation of the Y-123 phase and produces relatively large crystals in the incongruent melt, which decreases significantly the processing times of large grain samples. The present study is relevant to decrease processing times of samples with both preferred or no growth sectors and for multiple seeding of large grain samples which contain clean grain boundaries. © 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

X-ray Topographic Assessment of Dislocations in Crystals Grown from Solution

Crystals growing from solution, the vapour phase and from supercooled melt exhibit, as a rule, planar faces. The geometry and distribution of dislocations present within the crystals thus grown are strongly related to the growth on planar faces and to the different growth sectors rather than the physical properties of the crystals and the growth methods employed. As a result, many features of generation and geometrical arrangement of defects are common to extremely different crystal species. In this paper these commoner aspects of dislocation generation and configuration which permits one to predict their nature and distribution are discussed. For the purpose of imaging the defects a very versatile and widely applicable technique viz. x-ray diffraction topography is used. Growth dislocations in solution grown crystals follow straight path with strongly defined directions. These preferred directions which in most cases lie within an angle of ±15° to the growth normal depend on the growth direction and on the Burger's vector involved. The potential configuration of dislocations in the growing crystals can be evaluated using the theory developed by Klapper which is based on linear anisotropic elastic theory. The preferred line direction of a particular dislocation corresponds to that in which the dislocation energy per unit growth length is a minimum. The line direction analysis based on this theory enables one to characterise dislocations propagating in a growing crystal. A combined theoretical analysis and experimental investigation based on the above theory is presented.

The location of executive suites and business centers in the United States: an exploratory analysis

Increasingly, corporate occupiers seek more flexible ways of meeting their accommodation needs. One consequence of this process has been the growth of the executive suite, serviced office or business centre market. This paper, the final report of a research project funded by the Real Estate Research Institute, focuses upon the geographical distribution of business centers offering executive suites within the US. After a brief review of the development of the market, the paper examines the availability of data, provides basic descriptive statistics of the distribution of executive suites by state and by metropolitan statistical area and then attempts to model the distribution using demographic and socio-economic data at MSA level. The distribution reflects employment in key growth sectors and the position of the MSA in the urban hierarchy. An appendix presents a preliminary view of the global distribution of suites.

New ICT sectors: platforms for European growth? Bruegel Policy Contribution 2012/14, August 2012

Europe's failure to specialise in new ICT sectors and firms is likely to hold back Europe’s post-crisis recovery. Europe lacks in particular leading platform providers, who are capturing most of the value in the new ICT ecosystem. • In-depth analysis of some specific new emerging ICT sectors shows that the problem in Europe appears not to be so much in the generation of new ideas, but rather in bringing ideas successfully to market. Among the barriers are the lack of a single digital market, fragmented intellectual property regimes, lack of an entrepreneurial culture, limited access to risk capital and an absence of ICT clusters. • The EU policy framework, particularly the Innovation Union and Digital Agenda EU 2020 Flagships, could better leverage the growth power for Europe of new ICT markets. The emphasis should move beyond providing support for infrastructure and research, to funding programmes for pre-commercial projects. But perhaps most important is dealing with the fragmentation in European digital markets.

International tourism : can it contribute to Nigeria's economic growth as other industrial sectors?

The growth of international tourism and the attendant economic benefits to the world nations, has been phenominal since the end of the second world war. It is considered that the industry's upsurge will continue even in the phase of various constraints exemplified in high fuel cost, constant increase in fares and the threatening world-wide recessions. Developed as well as developing countries have gained substantially from the industry. A recent development shows increasing tourist traffic towards developing countries, while developed countries still hold their fort in stable growth of tourist receipts. The strategic beneficial effects of international tourist industry are often quantified in terms of foreign exchange earnings, employments offered, and the Real Estate super-structures; but in general,the industry has innumerable direct and indirect benefits to any nation engaging in the trade. The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate by comparative analysis and proven parameters that the international tourist industry which is given low priority in development in Nigeria, can equally contribute to the nation's economic growth as other industrial sectors which receive high priority and patronage in development. The data for this paper are gathered from primary sources which are i) responses by the Federal and State Governments' tourism-related offices; ii) government publications e.a. the Third National Development Plan of Federal Republic of Nigeria; and iii) Books and collections. The secondary sources include reports,periodicals and hospitality industry publications. To formally establish the international tourist industry in Nigeria, all the governments (Federal, State and Local) and the private sector in the country, should commence the development of the industry with research and feasibility studies, to be followed by proper planning at all levels and based on the result of the research and feasibility studies.

The role of transport infrastructure in facilitating the survival and growth of micro-enterprises in developing economies

Transport and logistics are essential to effective business. Very little is currently known about the impact of improved transport on micro-enterprises in developing economies and whether improvements in this area would assist the very poor. This paper looks at the obstacles of an inefficient transport facilitation system and the high costs incurred by 22 survival micro-entrepreneurs funded by the same local NGO and operating in diverse industry sectors in a peri-urban context in Mozambique. Six case studies are selected to illustrate the most common constraints they face. The perspectives of the micro-business owners are confronted with those of government officials and community leaders for two reasons: to identify any mismatch and to discuss possible solutions. Significant discrepancies are detected between government agenda and needs of the population, while community-based entrepreneurship (CBE) is discussed as a possible collective strategy in dealing with the problem.

Communities Under Stress: Understanding and Managing Growth in Resource–Based Regions–The case of the Western Downs, Queensland

The Western Downs region, located in Southern Queensland, about 200 kilometres west of Brisbane, has been experiencing rapid and significant changes over the past years, due to a massive boom in the energy sector. The rapid growth triggered by the development of mining and energy sectors has generated environmental, socio-economic and land use issues, and has revealed strong weaknesses within the region’s current governance arrangements. The present paper develops a four-stage approach to managing current and expected changes in a resource-based region under tremendous stress and uncertainty.

Numerical simulations of void growth near a notch tip in ductile single crystals

The objective of this work is to study the growth of a cylindrical void ahead of a notch tip in ductile FCC single crystals under mode I, plane strain, small scale yielding (SSY) conditions. To this end, finite element simulations are performed within crystal plasticity framework neglecting elastic anisotropy. Attention is focussed on the effects of crystal hardening, ratio of void diameter to spacing from the notch and crystal orientation on plastic flow localization in the ligament connecting the notch and the void as well as their growth. The results show strong interaction between shear bands emanating from the notch and angular sectors of single slip forming around the void leading to intense plastic strain development in the ligament. Further, the ductile fracture processes are retarded by increase in hardening of the single crystal and decrease in ratio of void diameter to spacing from the notch. Also, a strong influence of crystal orientation on near-tip void growth and plastic slip band development is observed. Finally, the synergistic, cooperative growth of multiple voids ahead of the notch tip is examined.

Status assessment of water use research in turf growth and maintenance.

The strategic objectives of Turf Australia (formerly the Turf Producers Association (TPA)) relating to water use in turf are to: • Source and collate information to support the case for adequate access to water for the Turf production and maintenance sectors and • Compile information generated into a convincing communication package that can be readily used by the industry in its advocacy programs (to government, regulators, media etc) More specifically, the turfgrass industry needs unbiased scientific evidence of the value of healthy grass in our environment. It needs to promote the use of adequate water even during drought periods to maintain quality turfgrass, which provides many benefits to the broader community including cooling the environment, saving energy and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The many environmental, social and health benefits of living turfgrass have been the subject of numerous investigations beyond the scope of this review. However further research is needed to fully understand the economic returns achievable by the judicious use of water for the maintenance of healthy turfgrass. Consumer education, backed by scientific evidence will highlight the “false economy” in allowing turfgrass to wither and die during conditions which require high level water restrictions. This report presents a review of the literature pertaining to research in the field of turf water use. The purpose of the review was to better understand the scope and nature of existing research results on turf water relations so that knowledge gaps could be identified in achieving the above strategic objectives of the TPA. Research to date has been found to be insufficient to compile a convincing communication package as described. However, identified knowledge gaps can now be addressed through targeted research. Information derived from targeted research will provide valuable material for education of the end user of turfgrass. Recommendations have been developed, based on the results of this desktop review. It was determined that future research in the field of turf irrigation needs to focus on a number of key factors which directly or indirectly affect the relationship between turfgrass and water use. These factors are: • Climate • Cultivar • Quality • Site use requirements • Establishment and management The overarching recommendation is to develop a strategic plan for turfgrass water relations research based around the five determinants of turf water use listed above. This plan should ensure research under these five categories is integrated into a holistic approach by which the consumer can be guided in species and/or cultivar choices as well as best management practices with respect to turfgrass water relations. Worsening drought cycles and limited supply of water for irrigation were the key factors driving every research project reviewed in this report. Subsidence of the most recent (or current) drought conditions in Australia should not be viewed by the turf industry as a reason to withdraw support or funding for research in this area. Drought conditions, limited domestic water availability and urban water restrictions will return in Australia albeit in 5, 10 or 20 years time and the turf industry has an opportunity to prepare for that time.

The Quest for Well-being in Growth Industries: Contexts, Research Design and Methodological Development

This Working Paper reports the background to the first stage of the ongoing research project, The Quest for Well-being in Growth Industries: A Collaborative Study in Finland and Scotland, conducted under the auspices of the Academy of Finland research programme The Future of Work and Well-being (2008-2011). This collaborative project provides national and transnational data, analysis and outputs. The study is being conducted in the Department of Management and Organisation, Hanken School of Economics, Finland, in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University, University of East London, Heriot-Watt University and Reading University, UK. The project examines policies and practices towards the enhancement of work-related well-being in growth industries, and contradictory pressures and tensions posed in this situation. The overall aim is to evaluate the development, implementation and use of work-related well-being policies in four selected growth industries. These sectors – electronics, care, finance and accounting, and tourism – have been selected on the basis of European Union and national forecasts, and demographic and socio-economic trends in employment. In this working paper we outline the background to the research study, the initial research plan, and how the survey of employers has been constructed. The working paper concludes with a brief discussion of general ongoing research issues arising in the project.

Total Factor Productivity Growth and Output Growth in Indian Electronics Industry in the Liberalization Era: An Empirical Examination

This paper analyses the efficiency and productivity growth of Electronics industry, which is considered one of the vibrant and rapidly growing manufacturing industry sub-sectors of India in the liberalization era since 1991. The main objective of the paper is to examine the extent and growth of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and its components namely, Technical Efficiency Change (TEC) and Technological Progress (TP) and its contribution to total output growth. In this study, the electronics industry is broadly classified into communication equipments, computer hardware, consumer electronics and other electronics, with the purpose of performing a comparative analysis of productivity growth for each of these sub-sectors for the time period 1993-2004. The paper found that the sub-sectors have improved in terms of economies of scale and contribution of capital.The change in technical efficiency and technological progress moved in reverse directions. Three of the four industry witnessed growth in the output primarily due to TFPG and the contribution of input growth to output growth had been negative/negligible, except for Computer hardware where contribution from both input growth and TFPG to output growth were prominent. The paper explored the possible reasons that addressed the issue of low technical efficiency and technological progress in the industry.

The rate of return on equity across industrial sectors on the British stock market, 1825-70

This article assesses the contribution of the various industrial sectors to the growth of the British equity market in the 1825–70 period. It also provides estimates of the rates of return on these industrial sectors in this period. The article then proceeds to examine whether differences in rates of return across the various sectors can be explained by risk or other financial factors. One of the main findings is that the relatively high rates of return in the banking, insurance, and miscellaneous sectors appear to be in some measure explained by the presence of extended liability and uncalled capital.