bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The General Data Protection Regulation: A myth-buster
Authors: Lee Phil , Pickering Kate
Published: July 2024

The General Data Protection Regulation1 (GDPR) is an undeniably complex piece of legislation. During the course of its adoption, the text of the GDPR changed many times. As a result, some provisions that were originally proposed were dropped from the final law — and this has inevitably created a certain amount of confusion. This paper explores the top 15 common misconceptions regarding the GDPR — so next time you hear any of these come up in conversation, you will be able to set the record straight!
Which key performance indicators should be used to establish a lead scoring strategy for customer relationship management?
Authors: Suárez Sergio , Reyes-Menendez Ana
Published: July 2024

Customer data has always been a company's most valuable asset, but now it increasingly represents the cornerstone of any company's marketing strategy. Therefore, this data must be optimised and leveraged effectively. This research aims to identify which Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are essential for enabling personalised treatment of customers through the organisation's marketing strategy, using a lead scoring strategy to provide a different experience to each customer segment depending on their life cycle stage (top of the funnel awareness, middle of the funnel selection, bottom of the funnel ready to purchase). A survey was carried out of leaders in the advertising sector to understand their opinions on, and practices with, the different KPIs that this type of strategy should include.
How to measure marketing success and find your cost per new student acquisition
Authors: King John
Published: July 2024

Marketing dollars need to be justified, and tying spending to both direct and indirect results can help clarify marketing efforts and aid in decision-making. Far too often, educational institutions build marketing campaigns around creative concepts and overlook the necessary element of measurement. Developing methods for evaluating brand and acquisition efforts are challenging. This paper looks at ways to develop metrics that can assist in measuring marketing success through concepts like brand recall and cost per new student acquisition. College executives have opportunities available to build reporting that clearly communicates value in marketing campaigns. After reviewing measurement methodologies, the paper will evaluate a real-world case study to explore ideas for building a marketing plan and generating reports that demonstrate success.
Evaluating pandemic telehealth access: Funding and policy implications
Authors: Martin Thomas , Gasoyan Hamlet
Published: July 2024

Access to telehealth services remains dependent on several underlying technological services, regional policies and demographic characteristics. This study evaluates telehealth service use during and after the COVID-19 pandemic using univariate and multivariate analyses. Survey data originated from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey COVID-19 supplement conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We found that telehealth utilisation was higher in the northern and western regions of the United States, as well as among beneficiaries residing in urban locations. Non-White race, lower income and Medicare/Medicaid dual eligibility were also associated with larger odds of telehealth use during the pandemic. In addition, we identify potential funding shortfalls by the Federal Communications Commission in response to the pandemic, particularly in the Midwest region, and examine the effect of internet access on telehealth utilisation. Finally, we discuss the policy factors associated with accessing telehealth services.
The untapped potential of digital loyalty programmes
Authors: Shiliashki Mario
Published: July 2024

As the shopping interaction changes, the way in which payments are made also continues to become more sophisticated. There has been a steady ascent from coins, to paper, to plastic and now, at this pivot point, to a world beyond plastic. Electronic payments have been possible for some time now, but ways to pay digitally are currently expanding dramatically and irreversibly. Perhaps the most valuable and still too often neglected of all potential digital payment enhancements are rewards programmes. In a world of hyper-accessibility for shoppers, when it is possible to buy something from Tangiers as easily as from Teaneck, and given the ever-present hyper-competitiveness among merchants, loyalty programmes are a way to stand out, a differentiator to generate the repeat business that keeps businesses going and flourishing. The more readily and naturally a digital purchase locks up and links into all available points programmes and discounts and sales, the more satisfied a customer is likely to be. Loyalty programmes that are reliable and easy to use can be the difference between a constant, repeat customer and one who just shows up now and then. That should inform any methodology to enable shopping and digital payments. It is beginning to happen, but the untapped potential of digital rewards and discounts remains huge.
Sonic branding: The value of intentional audio in the new normal
Authors: Arbeeny Audrey
Published: July 2024

Recently, there has been a surge in interest in sonic branding, this untapped, valuable communication tool, and its ability to enhance customer experiences. Why are brands such as KitchenAid, Toshiba, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others investing in sonic branding? What is driving this brand imperative to new heights? 2020 has been a game-changing year. Businesses have had to adopt new ways of operating, employees are working remotely and students are facing distanced learning. At the same time, technology has advanced to deliver exceptional sonic communications. We are in a voice-first/sound-first world. And that will not change, even when the pandemic is under control. This is the new normal and everyone must adapt. This paper shares insights on what sonic branding is and why creating your proprietary sound is a brand imperative. You will learn how to: create valuable brand equity using sonic branding; elevate your brand through music, sound and voice; make your brand more relevant by embracing today’s technology; bring empathy and emotion to your brand’s narrative; improve your return on investment (ROI) by creating a sonic system that is flexible, sustainable and authentic; and most importantly, understand this new shift and what can be done to build a successful future.
Global trends in retail payments
Authors: Baxley Deborah , Hergenroeder Gerard
Published: July 2024

It is an exciting time for the payments business. Change is omnipresent. Old business models are under attack, and new ones are developing. No one 30 years ago could have ever envisioned the progress that the payments industry has made. It was nothing less than a revolution and was driven in no small part because of technology advances in microprocessors, software and communications. A new industry that now includes financial service providers and third-party processors has evolved. MasterCard is now a publicly owned company. The number of communication providers and third-party service providers has grown exponentially, while the number of financial service providers is decreasing. But there are some things that do not change. The first is the need to exchange value, ie the ability to pay for something. The second is the ability to gain access to credit and liquidity. Today, there is a plethora of payment activity under way that could create another sea-change in the near future. As technology takes quantum leaps, the future becomes much more uncertain. Change will occur in the payments business, and it is going to happen at a rate that cannot be imagined today. This paper is primarily US focused but pulls in examples of payments innovations from Europe and Asia.
From Kit Kat to copycat: Exploring Generation Z’s attitude towards copycat products in the confectionery category
Authors: Marsden Jamie , Oguz Ezgi , Thomas Briony , Brown Freya
Published: July 2024

As consumers look to reduce discretionary spending, one option available to them is to switch to lower priced copycat brands. Facing such financial constraints, this paper asks whether Generation Z might prefer these more value-orientated products. Through four focus groups participants were asked to compare competing confectionery products from both copycats and leader brands. By drawing on their own experiences and responding to the physical products, participants were asked to explain their preferences when buying such products. Three themes emerged from the analysis. Firstly, contextual convenience shaped the available options when buying snacks; second, taste was assigned the highest priority for such relatively low-cost items. This preference was dependent on prior experience with the products and therefore brand familiarity and trust. Third, price disparity became an influential factor for the more generic tasting products but less important for products that were considered more distinctive in their taste profiles. The implication of this research is that for these types of low-cost, emotional buys, the price advantage has to be meaningful for it to translate into a cost-driven decision. For copycat products, this means that the greater the price disparity and the more comparable the taste, the more they appeal. For leader brands, this study highlights the importance of maintaining the emphasis on preserving their distinctive taste and keeping prices relatively comparable with those of competitors to avoid conceding market share.
Normalising migration: Reacting to the failure of a digital preservation platform
Authors: Digby Todd , Durant Fletcher
Published: July 2024

Since 2006, the University of Florida participated in the Florida Digital Archive (FDA), the mission of which was to provide a cost-effective, long-term preservation repository for digital materials in support of teaching, learning, scholarship and research in the state of Florida. Managed by the Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative (FALSC), FDA used the Dark Archive in the Sunshine State (DAITSS) repository software. Developed with Institute of Museum and Library Services grant funding, the DAITSS system was designed to implement active preservation strategies based on format transformations including forward migration, normalisation and localisation. During autumn 2018, FALSC announced that the sunsetting of FDA would take place in June 2019. This paper discusses how the University of Florida Libraries, with its large digital collection, responded when its statewide digital preservation system was shut down and it had only months to transition. It will discuss challenges in managing the technology infrastructure response while adhering to digital preservation best practices.
Web3 and marketing: The new frontier
Authors: Chicotsky Brandon
Published: July 2024

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in decentralised technologies and the potential of Web3. These technologies have the potential to upend traditional business models and disrupt several industries. There is also a growing recognition of the need for new marketing approaches to promote these technologies and drive adoption. The ‘tech stack’ of Web3 is complex and still evolving, making it difficult to communicate its benefits to a mainstream audience. Additionally, the decentralised nature of these technologies presents unique marketing challenges since there is no single company or organisation that controls the narrative. This paper explores the market for Web3 technologies and the opportunities and challenges for marketing in this space. It begins with an overview of the Web3 marketplace, including a discussion of the size and scope of the market and the major trends driving growth. This is followed by a section on marketing in Web3, including a discussion of the unique challenges and opportunities posed by technology. Finally, the paper concludes with a case study of an effective marketing campaign for a Web3 project.
Challenges of airport economics for financial management
Authors: Vogel Hans-Arthur
Published: July 2024

This paper discusses the fundamentals of airport economics, governing the business in general. Based on representative ACI data, the structure of airport finances and resulting profitability will be exemplified from a global and regional perspective. The major characteristics will be identified from this, impacting on revenue and cost levels, capital productivity and structure, as well as capital spending. Due to their relationship with airline customers as well as travellers, airports are two-sided businesses. Moreover, infrastructure costs do not vary in direct proportion to traffic throughput. This makes airports fixed cost businesses in nature, continuously searching for new airlines, passengers and cargo in order to achieve economies of scale and increase commercial revenue at the same time. In combination with the investment cycle, this poses unique challenges for financial management in the sector beyond the typical activities of working capital management and investment funding. Airports and airlines are intrinsically linked and rely on one another to operate efficiently. Nevertheless, they are based on considerably different business models. While airlines are able to flexibly respond to changes in traffic flows by adjusting capacity, airports have to commit to long-term planning decisions to safeguard capacity many years ahead. Operating efficiency, capital productivity and cost of capital as well as an appropriate capital structure are essential for financial success.
The national payment system in Lesotho, 2000–2016
Authors: Sekantsi Lira Peter , Lechesa Motheo Ernest
Published: July 2024

Prior to 2000, the payment, clearing and settlement system in Lesotho relied upon manual processes. To address this, a programme to modernise the system and provide better support for the circulation of funds in the economy was initiated. The initiative, which ran between 2000 and 2015, revolutionised the country’s payment, clearing and settlement system. Lesotho now boasts an efficient and safe payment, clearing and settlement system that supports monetary policy and fosters financial stability and financial inclusion, along with other economic benefits. The work, however, is not over. Due to the changing needs and emerging challenges within the country, the modernisation of the payment, clearing and settlement system is an ongoing process. Furthermore, it is necessary for the system to align with regional and international standards in order to facilitate international trade and investment. Likewise, it is essential to keep the legal and regulatory framework up to date in order to respond to the rapid changes in financial technology and innovation, as well as to avoid regulatory arbitrage.
Repair, replacement and obsolescence: The dilapidations dilemma
Authors: French Paul
Published: July 2024

Lease covenants to repair draw on a long history of case law precedent for interpretation and understanding. The decision to repair or replace is determined on a case-by-case basis according to the standard of repair. The complexity is compounded when spare parts are no longer available, forcing replacement with something different, or when changes are required to comply with legislation. Care must be taken to define the standard of repair needed, as well as identifying areas where tenant works may be superseded.
The AI Act in light of the EU Digital Agenda: A critical approach
Authors: Kouroupis Konstantinos
Published: July 2024

This paper deals with the issue of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our modern societies as well as on fundamental rights and freedoms, mainly those of privacy and security. AI constitutes one of the most essential pillars of the EU Digital Agenda. Despite its use in almost every field of private and public life there is a significant gap regarding its legal regulation. Subsequently, in relation to the proposed AI Act, which corresponds to the first binding legal instrument on AI anywhere, a key consideration arises regarding the governing of AI. Following a brief presentation of the nature and content of the proposed rules, this paper focuses on two major matters which give rise to serious concerns and demand further investigation: those of facial recognition and AI liability. Even though the draft AI Act encompasses provisions relating to these issues, there are still significant points which need to be clarified, such as the potential use of biometric identification tools by private organisations or the liability for AI decisions or actions. Through a comparative analysis of the existing European legal framework covering data protection as well as via the study of significant rulings of European courts and national competent authorities on data protection, this paper aims to demonstrate how to balance the rights, freedoms and interests of the individual against the challenges imposed by the ongoing technological evolutions. Moreover, an original theory is put forward in the area of AI liability which ideally keeps pace with the latest evolutions marked by the proposal of an AI Liability Directive. In addition, an effective mechanism is suggested for the lawful use of facial recognition systems. Therefore, the goal of the study is to indicate fruitful solutions of AI governance in order to build a trustworthy and productive technological environment, with respect to the consolidation of digital privacy and the deployment of modern technological tools.
The production log: A digital imaging capacity replication project
Authors: Mcintosh Marcia , Willis Shannon
Published: July 2024

The University of North Texas Digital Projects Unit Imaging Lab (DPU) took on the challenge of providing project completion estimates to its partners. The DPU replicated the Points Process system developed by the Northwestern University Libraries’ Repository and Digital Curation Department. The project has enabled the lab to begin estimating the time necessary to complete imaging projects that come through the lab, thus giving staff members the ability to start measuring the capacity of the lab. This paper will report on the process and steps taken by the lab and best practices for repeating the process elsewhere. The DPU intends to extend the measuring of capacity by adding inventory and metadata numbers as well as developing a more automated method for capturing production statistics. Being able to quantify lab capacity will enable lab staff to better arrange for the scheduling of projects with both internal and external faculty and staff.
What living on the edge and outside of organisations can teach us about the spaces in which we work
Authors: Davis Lloyd
Published: July 2024

In this paper the author takes a personal look at recent changes in organisation and working practices. It is suggested that these changes can be traced back to the emergence of the internet and the subversive power of the hyperlink. The author presents his own experiences and experiments with self-organising human systems, offering lessons for corporate property managers. Such managers are urged to move away from discussions about the future of work towards engaging with people who have already embraced a fully-networked working life.
Flipped classroom: Benefits and challenges
Authors: Cequeña Maria B. , Mendoza Niña Svetlana M. , Amora Johnny T.
Published: July 2024

Flipped classroom (FC) has been a popular subject of research in recent years. FC is a student-centred teaching method that enables learners to study the learning content at home and apply it in school through in-class activities provided by the teacher. This action research was conducted to determine the Grade 11 senior high school students’ attitude towards the FC, their perceived benefits of FC, the challenges they experienced in FC and their recommendations to improve its implementation. A total of 49 students, 18 males and 31 females, aged 16–20 years participated in this study. They were enrolled in the reading and writing skills subject and were taught using the FC model for 13 weeks, with one weekly synchronous online session of 1 hour and 15 minutes per session. The other days of the week were reserved for their pre-work and post-work activities. On the 14th week, a researcher-made attitude survey was administered to the respondents via g-forms. Their responses to Likert scale questions that measure their attitudes towards the FC were calculated using mean and their responses to open-ended questions were coded using Akcayir and Akcayir’s (2018) categories for the benefits and challenges. Findings show that students exhibited a positive cognitive, affective and behavioural attitude towards FC. In fact, they reported that they enjoyed the FC activities and learned many things using this teaching method. They also perceived that FC has several benefits such as increased knowledge, engagement, better retention of the concepts learned, better preparation before the class, and opportunities for flexible learning. They also recognised the challenges they had experienced during its implementation, however, such as limited preparation before the class and lack of interaction due to shyness and fear of negative evaluation from peers. With the perceived benefits of FC, educators can utilise this teaching method to promote engagement and learning achievement.
A new hope: A holistic framework for understanding workplace experience
Authors: Ellison Ian , Pinder James , Moriarty Chris
Published: July 2024

This paper introduces a novel conceptual framework to holistically consider workplace and its intrinsic organisational value. The framework recognises ‘workplace’ as a polyseme, a single word that has multiple associated meanings, and embraces (rather than refutes) its plural spatial, technological and cultural interpretations, alongside interrelated business impacts. To substantiate the framework, this paper reprises and synthesises seminal workplace-related models, including Trist and Bamforth’s ‘sociotechnical systems’ and Becker and Steele’s ‘workplace ecosystem’, among others. Consequently, this paper explores how the framework provides a new opportunity to consider ‘workplace experience’, and offers an ontology to substantively understand, evaluate and potentially even benchmark workplace experience holistically, for diverse and distributed organisational workplaces, making its utility both work location and sector agnostic. The framework therefore not only broadens the scope for workplace insights and decision making, but it also offers a basis from which to critique other assertions or claims of truth about workplace and workplace experience. While the immediate audience for this paper — readers of this journal — will most likely be invested in physical workplace elements first and foremost, the framework promotes collaborative opportunities through wider appreciation and understanding of different workplace perspectives, as well as their interconnectedness and interdependencies. The paper concludes with suggested opportunities and further areas for research and development.
Value engineering: A collaborative method to increase return on real estate assets
Authors: Sievert Richard W.
Published: July 2024

For every facility there are certain minimum performance requirements that must be achieved, or it will not satisfy the owner's requirements. There is also a maximum cost ceiling that must not be exceeded or the facility will not be affordable. This paper introduces value engineering and suggests that corporate real estate managers should employ the function-oriented systematic team method to create a range of acceptable solutions that fall within the limits. It covers the fundamentals, goals and operation of the methodology. It also explains why value engineering should be mandated as a formal operating procedure to improve both financial performance and marketability of projects, products, services, buildings, systems and properties. Value engineering is a powerful team method to define facility requirements, eliminate unnecessary costs and enhance value in the management of facility assets.
Rethinking value communication: The key to revenue growth in the digital age
Authors: Ke Wei , Jackson Matthew
Published: July 2024

The dynamics that surround the decision-making process and the factors that influence purchases are dramatically different in the digital age. Consumers are more connected, digital channels have replaced the traditional sales dialogue, competition is stiffer and buying behaviours have changed. More than ever, the way a company approaches the design of systems intended to help a customer’s buying decision is a critical contributor to its success. It is important to avoid triggering irrational price responses, or failing to communicate the value of products and services properly, as these will increasingly be more costly. In the digital age, a consumer presented with product information that overwhelms, obfuscates or appears overpriced will simply move on to a competitor’s offering a few clicks away. This paper explores the principles that guide towards removing cognitive obstacles and converting a person from prospect to committed customer. It addresses the keys to success, including a noise-free visual medium wherein the value of an offer’s content and its relation to the price are rendered self-evident. Using the principles of clarity, coherence and calibration, it takes digital presentment towards a different direction: one that can ensure the full revenue potential is realised.
Unified surveillance systems: Data mining with PeekYou, GPS and facial recognition
Authors: Berger Jessica
Published: July 2024

Unified surveillance systems threaten to unlock a portal to mass surveillance, swift round ups, incarceration and deportation. By combining data from an array of people tracking technologies, governments and corporations can now instantly locate and monitor entire populations in real time. This paper unveils the mechanics of how these technologies are bound together within the fabric of our daily lives, silently invading our privacy. Research methods include examination of more than 29 articles, an exploration of PeekYou and an interview with an accomplished transportation professional from Seattle, Washington. Privacy-by-design offers the promise of freedom from constant corporate and government scrutiny. Ongoing coerced assent to mass surveillance need not remain our global fate. The United States Constitution, in particular the Third, Fourth and Fifth Amendments, offers citizens protection from the systematised misapplication of these invasive and largely covert programmes. As such, it is never too late to alter the course of history so that we amplify these technology’s attributes while protecting all people from the abuse inherent in their utilisation.
Bitcoin awareness and usage in Canada
Authors: Henry Christopher S. , Huynh Kim P. , Nicholls Gradon
Published: July 2024

Bitcoin, digital currencies and FinTech have been the subject of vigorous discussion. There has, however, been limited empirical evidence of its adoption and usage. This paper proposes a methodology to collect a nationally representative sample via the Bitcoin Omnibus Survey (BTCOS) in order to track the ubiquity and usage of Bitcoin in Canada. The paper reveals that about 64 per cent of Canadians have heard of Bitcoin, but only 2.9 per cent own it. Awareness of Bitcoin is strongly associated with men, and those with college or university education; additionally, Bitcoin awareness is more concentrated among unemployed individuals. On the other hand, Bitcoin ownership is associated with younger age groups and a high school education. Furthermore, the current authors have constructed a test of Bitcoin characteristics to attempt to gauge the level of knowledge held by respondents who were aware of Bitcoin, including actual owners. Knowledge is positively correlated with Bitcoin adoption. This paper attempts to reconcile the difference in awareness and ownership by deconstructing the transaction and store-of-value motive for holding Bitcoin. The paper concludes with some suggestions to improve future digital currency surveys, in particular to achieve precise estimates from the hard-to-reach population of digital currency users.
The acceptance of cash by Canadian merchants: Evidence from the 2021–22 Merchant Acceptance Survey
Authors: Welte Angelika , Wu Joy
Published: July 2024

In recent years, the rise in digital payments has spurred discussion about the future of cash at the point of sale. The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to this discussion. To better understand cash acceptance and the impact of payment innovations such as mobile payments in Canada, the Bank of Canada conducted the 2021–22 Merchant Acceptance Survey Pilot Study — a survey of around 500 small and medium-sized businesses. We find that 97 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses in Canada accepted cash in 2021–22 and only 3 per cent have plans to stop accepting cash. For cards and digital payments, merchant acceptance has increased over the last few years. Therefore, cash and digital payments continue to co-exist at the point of sale, and Canada is far from being a cashless society.
Financial services in crisis: Operational risk management to the rescue!
Authors: Grody Allan D. , Hughes Peter J.
Published: July 2024

In today’s financial crisis, the capital reserves held by banks have become the measure by which an organisation counts down to failure, rather than the system to proactively prevent it. Indeed, the bankruptcies and near-death experience of a number of financial institutions provide yet further evidence of risk management controls gone awry. The question then has to be asked, what is it that offers a financial institution its greatest protection against failure if it is not capital? Quite simply, it is the risk culture embedded in its people and processes. At the core of any risk culture are the incentives for individual reward that balance risk and return with short-term self-interest and long-term stakeholder goals. Furthermore, it is the embedded early warning systems that highlight growing exposures to risk. Here, the greatest hope for preventing such crisis in the future lies in the final piece of Basel II — the yet to be implemented operational risk framework — the first-ever truly global regulation intended to foster a risk-adjusted performance culture.
How integrated data changes real estate portfolio decisions: Shell’s property strategy case studies
Authors: Van Noppen Jaco
Published: July 2024

Shell is one of the world’s major oil companies and holds a large corporate portfolio of offices, accommodation and residential assets. An extensive portfolio requires daily decision making that is of great impact to the company’s operations. To make good and fast decisions, clear insights from accurate data are essential. This paper describes Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDS) journey to achieving this, and provides two examples where improved data and management reporting supported better decisions.
Case study: NAMI-NYC Metro
Authors: Lenn Howard , Parsey Melissa
Published: July 2024

Mental illness is the most stigmatised issue in our society, leading millions of Americans to suffer in silence. Working with NAMI-NYC Metro, a leader in the mental health community, J. Walter Thompson New York, believed that in order to break the stigma, a new conversation needed to be had. Prior mental illness advocacy campaigns had drawn the same conclusion, but had attempted to normalise the illness, or they had asked those affected to speak up – loud and proud – to represent the community. The sad reality is that mental illness is so stigmatised, many people will not talk about it even with those closest to them. We needed to lower the prejudice rife in society, so that people would feel more comfortable discussing the issue, breaking the pervasive silence. We recognised that for a new conversation to take place, for people to want to speak up and to challenge the status quo, first, individuals and the community needed to promise three little words: I Will Listen. #IWillListen became an actionable way for people to advocate support for those they cared about, where it mattered most – on their social channels. To do this, we had to turn the largest social network into the biggest support network. This is #IWillListen.
Manufacturers moving closer to consumers: New technologies and mass customisation shift global trends
Authors: Douetil Guy
Published: July 2024

The advent of mass customisation coupled with other global macro-trends, such as rising labour costs in emerging economies, has stirred manufacturers and their property advisors to focus on proximity in manufacturing and the implications for the wider supply chain. The following research outlines the key challenges posed by these trends, particularly the need to add flexibility to manufacturing processes and reduce lead times. It also examines how technology — both hardware and software — is enabling companies to reconfigure and optimise their supply chains, enabling locational decisions in a global context. In particular, this paper predicates the diffusion of ‘best-shoring’, which often results in a compromise between market, access and cost minimisation, as opposed to traditionally cost-driven offshoring. It concludes that growing demand for industrial/production space in some parts of the world which offer the right balance of these two elements, such as Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Mexico, will be partly offset by a reduction in space requirements achievable through smart digital supply chains, growing automation within factories and 3D printing.
Europe’s plumbers: Keeping capital flowing
Authors: Bayle Marc
Published: July 2024

The Eurosystem contributes to making sure Europe has the infrastructure it
needs so that money and financial assets can flow safely and efficiently
within and across European borders. This paper looks at the latest piece of
the financial market infrastructure to have been put in place:
TARGET2-Securities, or T2S. This pan-European securities settlement platform
brings an array of benefits to the markets in terms of lower prices, more
efficient and standardised settlement practices, better collateral management
and more competition. But it also benefits Europe’s economy more broadly by
bringing greater financial stability and making Europe a more attractive
place for investors both at home and abroad. With the migration of European
markets to the T2S platform over the course of the next two years, these
benefits will increasingly come to fruition. T2S, together with the other
initiatives in this field that the Eurosystem will focus its efforts on over
the next few years, will move Europe ever closer to the goal of a true single
market in Europe.
Going digital in logistics: Cultivating a culture and roadmap for digital success
Authors: Jones Mike
Published: July 2024

Companies are increasingly tasked with taking their logistics operations into a new increasingly digitised world. This paper follows a cultural evolution that supported a parallel digital transformation of Gerdau North America Logistics. In 2018, Gerdau North America Logistics had few digital tools at its disposal, information was classified as hearsay and firefighting business issues was a daily occurrence. Addressing a lack of tools took Gerdau Logistics through a journey of digital evolution, which would improve trust in information, improve employee engagement, establish internal partnerships and ultimately change the way Gerdau conducted business. Readers will most likely find parallels to their own logistics and supply chain processes and hopefully glean opportunities worth pursuing at their own organisations.
Plug away: Disclosure of material connections in style blogs
Authors: Kamerer David
Published: July 2024

As eyeballs have moved online, advertisers have struggled to find the best way to communicate their messages. Some have found it effective to influence bloggers or celebrities through paid posts or free products, trips or other considerations. In the USA, the Federal Trade Commission regulates these messages as commercial speech and has required that such material connections be disclosed to readers. But few do, and those that do may not disclose in ways that communicate these relationships effectively. This study explores the issue of disclosure in the context of digital advertising, using unobtrusive analysis to examine disclosure in top style blogs. The study finds that these platforms are often used for commercial speech, but material connections are seldom disclosed.
Integrating public health and medical intelligence gathering into homeland security fusion centres
Authors: Lenart Brienne , Albanese Joseph , Halstead William , Schlegelmilch Jeffrey , Paturas James
Published: July 2024

Homeland security fusion centres serve to gather, analyse and share threat-related information among all levels of governments and law enforcement agencies. In order to function effectively, fusion centres must employ people with the necessary competencies to understand the nature of the threat facing a community, discriminate between important information and irrelevant or merely interesting facts and apply domain knowledge to interpret the results to obviate or reduce the existing danger. Public health and medical sector personnel routinely gather, analyse and relay health-related inform­ation, including health security risks, associated with the detection of suspicious biological or chemical agents within a community to law enforcement agencies. This paper provides a rationale for the integration of public health and medical personnel in fusion centres and describes their role in assisting law enforcement agencies, public health organisations and the medical sector to respond to natural or intentional threats against local communities, states or the nation as a whole.
‘When entertaining isn’t enough’: Fan motivation and word of mouth spreading of fan interests
Authors: Plante Courtney , Chadborn Daniel , Reysen Stephen
Published: July 2024

The motivational factors driving fanship and their relationship to the promotion of one’s fandom were assessed in two cross-sectional survey studies of American undergraduate students (Study 1, n = 354, Study 2, n = 896). Unlike most research on fan groups, which has focused primarily on sports fans, the present studies encompassed a variety of sport, music, media and hobby fan groups. Across both studies, fanship was positively associated with promoting one’s fan interest by word of mouth, a relationship mediated by the extent to which fan interest provided a sense of purpose and belonging. In contrast, the entertainment value of one’s fan interest was not associated with the likelihood of promoting fan activity via word of mouth. While the studies could not directly speak to causality, they do provide marketers and researchers alike with numerous fruitful avenues for future research and application.
Getting the most out of voice of the customer data
Authors: Howlett Nigel
Published: July 2024

This paper aims to set out how voice of the customer (VoC) is playing an increased role in ensuring an optimum user experience and how it is being adopted globally by both the private and public sectors. The author will look at some of the opportunities and challenges facing its adoption and how new technologies are opening up new capabilities for organisations using VoC to improve their customer experience.
Airfield markings: A visual aid
Authors: Speidel Donna J.
Published: July 2024

Visual aids on airfields comprise three separate, but complementary, disciplines: lights, signs and markings. Lights and signs are over-achievers, being more expensive and overtly obvious when they require maintenance. By comparison, markings are taken for granted, seldom effective during darkness and subjective in terms of maintenance requirements. Globally, the industry agrees upon the importance of an effective marking system as a vital component of safe navigation; however, the methods with which they are applied largely determine whether the markings will be effective. In 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commissioned the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation to administer a research project to produce a best practices airfield marking handbook. Sightline was the primary author, joined on the research team by other industry professionals. The handbook was published in 2008 and is now the course material for Sightline's airfield marking symposiums.
The next generation of operations: Evolving beyond data collecting to data quality and analytics - The journey of one financial regulator
Authors: Vouté Barbara , Eiholzer Karl
Published: July 2024

Industry participants have long equated firm ‘operations’ with back office, manual processing and data collection functions. Operations in the digital age have expanded and transformed to encompass increasingly complex data management and process improvement functions. Today’s operational professional must maintain technical and business expertise to best utilise and aggregate essential data that enhances a firm’s ability to service its clients, keep up with regulation and remain competitive. Firms feel increasing pressure to abandon their legacy systems and move towards digital systems, including cloud software and services. There is more capacity for machine learning and artificial intelligence that could provide firms with new analytical capacity and decrease the need for more labour intensive, specific programming. As a selfregulatory organisation for the US$4.1 trillion United States municipal securities market, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board faces many of these same operational challenges, and the Board’s journey to join the digital age is not unlike the journeys of those they regulate.
How to implement effective mass notification systems
Authors: Pickren Ann , Harper Troy
Published: July 2024

When an emergency occurs, organisations have a limited amount of time to respond before the consequences become increasingly worse. Implementing an effective emergency management notification system can help avoid potentially catastrophic outcomes. This paper provides recommendations for achieving buy-in from stakeholders as well as tips to properly implement, test, audit and improve results.
GDPR’s tools to tackle AI and machine-driven data
Authors: Wennakoski Anna Aurora
Published: July 2024

As technologies and information management systems evolve, machine-based data management and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to multiply and to expand into new fields. Despite the many potential benefits, challenges, if not clear pitfalls, also appear crucial to take into account, not the least from the perspective of privacy and data protection law. Are the benefits merely a continuation of Moore’s law or do they become more negative after all? This paper evaluates the tools that the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will offer to address the mounting interest in AI and machine learning. The examination will focus on the right to information, right to object, and the notions of pseudonymisation, anynonymisation and data minimisation under the GDPR.
The restoration of the Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens
Authors: Maude Francis
Published: July 2024

At the time of its construction, the Temperate House within the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (RBG Kew) was the largest glasshouse in the world, and it remains the largest extant example from the Victorian period. The restoration project, finished in 2018, called upon the skills of the UK’s top experts. To be able to execute such a project, and to justify a major National Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the project team needed to show why the Temperate House was significant, and that it could be restored to enable the continuing cultivation and presentation of rare botanic specimens. This paper describes the restoration programme, covering work to the composite iron, steel, timber, masonry and glass structure, its consolidation and redecoration, and improvements to make it both more sustainable and better able to serve the community.
Navigating digital transformation in airports : A disciplined approach to project portfolio selection and execution
Authors: Strome Trevor
Published: July 2024

Airports are undertaking digital transformation initiatives to achieve operations excellence, improve sustainability and enhance competitiveness. While digital transformation offers many potential benefits for airports, including improved insights, efficiencies, streamlined passenger journeys and new business/ revenue opportunities, there are risks associated with not utilising a disciplined approach when building a digital transformation project portfolio. Just as all airports are not the same, digital transformation initiatives are not ‘one size fits all’. Projects to introduce new systems and deploy new technology under the banner of digital transformation need to be in support of the strategic goals of the airport and in alignment with business and operational objectives. Digital transformation initiatives must also fit within the resource and skills capacity of the airport to successfully perform the work and provide the necessary post-deployment support afterwards. This paper posits that a disciplined and analytical approach to evaluating both the likely effort required for successful execution and the potential impact and value generated can assist airports with the selection and timing of projects, with the aim of avoiding ‘digital disappointment’. It concludes that digital transformation projects selected and sequenced on the basis of objective criteria are most likely to address the business and operational needs of individual airports and generate the most value for airport employees, stakeholders and passengers.
Creating a ‘customer centricity graph’ from unstructured customer feedback
Authors: Lebmeier Elisabeth , Hou Naiwen , Spann Korbinian , Aßenmacher Matthias
Published: July 2024

Certain industries, such as car insurance, do not have many customer touch points and do not offer a great deal of differentiation in the market. Marketers in such industries must therefore analyse vast amounts of customer-generated feedback in order to analyse customer preference in a quantitative manner. At present, this is done via market research or manual work, as an automated tool for summarising unstructured texts is as yet unavailable for certain European languages, including German. This paper discusses how Insaas and LMU Munich have used publicly available feedback on car insurance in Germany to develop a dedicated pipeline for the computation and visualisation of customer opinions. This paper provides an overview of the various steps of the procedure.
Reserve-backed tokens : A money for the future?
Authors: Goel Tirupam
Published: July 2024

Exactly what form the money of the future will take remains an open question. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), tokenised deposits and stablecoins have been discussed as potential candidates. This paper argues that reserve-backed tokens (RBTs) — backed solely and fully by central bank reserves — also represent a credible solution. RBTs pose a unique combination of benefits. Notably, they are safer than, and can crowd out, the unstable breeds of stablecoins. They can adopt a more flexible design than retail CBDCs and thus foster greater competition and innovation. Furthermore, compared with bank deposits, RBTs are immune to runs and are unencumbered by legacy features. Naturally, there are attendant risks and unknowns, but this paper argues that careful design and gradual rollout would help harness the benefits of RBT while mitigating the risks.