Manchester School of Architecture

Developing a mechanistic understanding of the impact of food structure and composition on human health has increasingly involved simulating digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract. These simulations have used a wide range of different conditions that often have very little physiological relevance, and this impedes the meaningful comparison of results. The standardized protocol presented here is based on an international consensus developed by the COST INFOGEST network. The method is designed to be used with standard laboratory equipment and requires limited experience to encourage a wide range of researchers to adopt it. It is a static digestion method that uses constant ratios of meal to digestive fluids and a constant pH for each step of digestion. This makes the method simple to use but not suitable for simulating digestion kinetics. Using this method, food samples are subjected to sequential oral, gastric and intestinal digestion while parameters such as electrolytes, enzymes, bile, dilution, pH and time of digestion are based on available physiological data. This amended and improved digestion method (INFOGEST 2.0) avoids challenges associated with the original method, such as the inclusion of the oral phase and the use of gastric lipase. The method can be used to assess the endpoints resulting from digestion of foods by analyzing the digestion products (e.g., peptides/amino acids, fatty acids, simple sugars) and evaluating the release of micronutrients from the food matrix. The whole protocol can be completed in ~7 d, including ~5 d required for the determination of enzyme activities.

Since its launch in 1985, SERVQUAL has become a widely adopted technology for measuring and managing service quality. Recently, a number of theoretical and operational concerns have been raised concerning SERVQUAL. Reviews these concerns and proposes a research agenda.

Reviews the literature on consumer‐perceived risk over the past 30 years. The review begins by establishing perceived risk’s relationship with related marketing constructs such as involvement and trust. It then tackles some debates within the literature, concerning subjective and objective risk and differences between the concepts of risk and uncertainty. It describes how different models have been devised and operationalised to measure risk and how these have developed over the years. Aims to identify and report the theoretical and model developments over the past 30 years and to propose criteria which researchers can use in deciding the most useful model for their own research. The criteria are: understanding, prediction, suitability for reliability and validity assessment, practicality and usability. It is suggested that the basic two‐component model is still the most generally useful for researchers and practitioners alike.

Purpose To compare the experience of occupational stress across a large and diverse set of occupations. Three stress related variables (psychological well‐being, physical health and job satisfaction) are discussed and comparisons are made between 26 different occupations on each of these measures. The relationship between physical and psychological stress and job satisfaction at an occupational level is also explored. Design/methodology/approach – The measurement tool used is a short stress evaluation tool which provides information on a number of work related stressors and stress outcomes. Out of the full ASSET database 26 occupations were selected for inclusion in this paper. Findings – Six occupations are reporting worse than average scores on each of the factors – physical health, psychological well‐being and job satisfaction (ambulance workers, teachers, social services, customer services – call centres, prison officers and police). Differences across and within occupational groups, for example, teaching and policing, are detailed. The high emotional labour associated with the high stress jobs is discussed as a potential causal factor. Research limitations/implications – This is not an exhaustive list of occupations and only concerns employees working within the UK. Originality/value – There is little information available that shows the relative values of stress across different occupations, which would enable the direct comparison of stress levels. This paper reports the rank order of 26 different occupations on stress and job satisfaction levels.

Abstract The ‘NIMBY’ (Not In My Back Yard) concept is commonly used to explain public opposition to new developments near homes and communities, particularly arising from energy technologies such as wind farms or electricity pylons. Despite its common use, the concept has been extensively critiqued by social scientists as a useful concept for research and practice. Given European policy goals to increase sustainable energy supply by 2020, deepening understanding of local opposition is of both conceptual and practical importance. This paper reviews NIMBY literature and proposes an alternative framework to explain local opposition, drawing upon social and environmental psychological theory on place. Local opposition is conceived as a form of place‐protective action, which arises when new developments disrupt pre‐existing emotional attachments and threaten place‐related identity processes. Adopting a social constructivist perspective and drawing on social representation theory, a framework of place change is proposed encompassing stages of becoming aware, interpreting, evaluating, coping and acting, with each stage conceived at multiple levels of analysis, from intrapersonal to socio‐cultural. Directions for future research and potential implications of the place‐based approach for public engagement by energy policy‐makers and practitioners are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

'Organizational Stress' examines stress in an organisational context, providing a critical review of what research can tell us about the current and future state of the workplace and its impact on the health of all employees

ABSTRACT The article subjects the assumptions and prescriptions of the ‘Corporate Culture’literature to critical scrutiny. the body of the article is devoted to teasing out the distinctive basis of its appeal compared with earlier management theory. It is seen to build upon earlier efforts ( e.g. ‘theory Y’) to constitute a self‐disciplining form of employee subjectivity by asserting that ‘practical autonomy’is conditional upon the development of a strong corporate culture. the paper illuminates the dark side of this project by drawing attention to the subjugating and totalitarian implications of its excellence/ quality prescriptions. to this end, parallels are drawn with the philosophy of control favoured by the Party in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty‐Four. Specifically, the paper critiques the ‘doublethink’contention that autonomy can be realized in monocultural conditions that systematically constrain opportunities to wrestle with competing values standpoints and their associated life projects.

Creating a customer experience that is synonymous with a particular (website) brand is becoming increasingly recognised as a vital driver of e-performance. E-tailors are just as likely to try to influence consumers' shopping behaviour, through atmospherics and service, as brick-and-mortar stores. This study investigates several questions that have been left unanswered in recent studies of consumer behaviour in the context of internet-based marketing. Its focus lies in addressing the issue of whether there is a direct relationship between brand experience and brand trust or whether there is an indirect relationship via satisfaction or brand familiarity. The results of an empirical study of e-consumer behaviour show that brand trust is achieved through the following dimensions operating and interrelating as antecedent constructs: first, various brand experiences and the search for information, secondly, a high level of brand familiarity, and thirdly, customer satisfaction based on cognitive and emotional factors. These findings should assist marketers and academics in their understanding of the development of brand trust in an internet-based environment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The textiles and apparel industry has been neglected in terms of supply chain management research. Recently, the industry has undergone a great deal of change, particularly with global sourcing and high levels of price competition. In addition, textiles and clothing has market characteristics, such as short product lifecycle, high volatility, low predictability, and a high level of impulse purchase, making such issues as quick response of paramount importance. This article discusses characteristics of the textiles and apparel industry and identifies the perspectives of lean, agile and leagility (a combination of these) within existing supply chain literature, which have been proffered as solutions to achieving quick response and reduced lead times. Through case studies of textile and apparel companies, different approaches to supply chain management are illustrated.

A quantitative and qualitative review of existing literature on working hours and health was carried out. Meta‐analyses were performed on 21 study samples. Results indicated small, but significant positive mean correlations between overall health symptoms, physiological and psychological health symptoms, and hours of work. Qualitative analysis of 12 other studies supported these findings of a positive relationship between hours of work and ill‐health. Different factors which may obscure the relationship between health and hours of work are discussed, together with other moderating influences. Taking these into account it is proposed that the results of the meta‐analyses together with the qualitative analysis offer support for a link between hours of work and ill‐health.

In recent years, the term empowerment has become part of everyday management language. It has also been associated with popular management movements of the times such as human resource management (HRM) and total quality management (TQM). Empowerment is regarded as providing a solution to the age‐old problem of Taylorised and bureaucratic workplaces where creativity is stifled and workers become alienated, showing discontent through individual or collective means. However, there are significant problems with much of the prescriptive literature on empowerment, in that there is little detailed discussion of the problems employers may experience implementing empowerment or the conditions which are necessary for such an approach to be successful. It is assumed employees will simply welcome the new way of working. Moreover, it is also assumed that empowerment is a universal solution appropriate to all organisations in all circumstances. Empowerment itself is not seen in a contingent way. Such literature has also been criticised as superficial and furthermore as trivialising the conflict that exists within organisations.

Since environmental factors have influenced Generation Y shoppers (those born after 1977) to make them different from older groups, this study examines the decision making of Adult Female Generation Y consumers using Sproles and Kendall’s (1986) Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI). The study uses the CSI as a basis for segmenting Generation Y consumers in to five meaningful and distinct decision‐making groups, namely: “recreational quality seekers”, “recreational discount seekers”, “trend setting loyals”, “shopping and fashion uninterested” and “confused time/money conserving”. Implications for retailers and marketing practitioners targeting Generation Y consumers are discussed.

Abstract Contemporary theories place emotions and self‐regulation at the centre of a dynamic process of stress. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to perceive, understand and reflectively manage one's own emotions and those of others. This study, which was situated within the management population (n = 224) of a large retail organization, investigates the relationship between a measure of EQ, subjective stress, distress, general health, morale, quality of working life and management performance. Significant correlations in the expected direction were found, indicating that managers who scored higher in EQ suffered less subjective stress, experienced better health and well‐being, and demonstrated better management performance. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The direct and indirect costs of occupational stress can be measured in both humanistic and financial terms. Therefore, financially healthy organizations are likely to be those which are successful in maintaining and retaining a workforce characterized by good physical, psychological, and mental health. In drawing upon recent empirical studies, this paper examines a wide range of issues including: factors intrinsic to the job, corporate culture, managerial style, style of work organization and physical layout, home/work interface, etc., which impact on employee health and well-being, and so determine the financial health and profitability of the organization. It also addresses the efficacy of various intervention strategies in reducing employee stress, and their implications for organizational practices and human resource policies.

Examines the applicability of determinants identified in a physical services environment to assess the services relating to e‐commerce. It is argued that the lack of human interaction during the Web site experience means that determinants such as competence, courtesy, cleanliness, comfort and friendliness, helpfulness, care, commitment, flexibility are not particularly relevant in e‐commerce. On the other hand, determinants such as accessibility, communication, credibility, understanding, appearance, and availability are equally applicable to e‐commerce as they are in physical services. The paper argues the need for further research to identify suitable determinants for the e‐commerce operating environment.

Abstract The relationship between management control systems (MCS) and the strategy process is a largely unexplored area of strategic management. This paper reports the findings of an in‐depth, longitudinal case study of a major British‐based organization operating within the increasingly globalized telecommunications industry. Informed by Simons' (, , ) theoretical model of the strategy process–MCS relationship, the study examines the nature and extent of this relationship at middle‐ and lower‐management levels. Of particular interest were the effects that the design and use of three groups of MCS have on the development of new ideas and initiatives. Findings suggest that beliefs systems influence managers' initiation or ‘triggering’ decisions, the use of administrative controls affects the location of strategic initiatives and may lead to the polarization of roles, and simultaneous emphasis on a range of key performance indicators can create a bias towards one set of measures and against another. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract This study builds on earlier work (Slaski & Cartwright, 2002), examining the role of Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a moderator in the stress process. A sample of UK managers (n = 60) were given training in emotional intelligence. Pre and post measures were taken relating to EI, stress and health and management performance. The study also incorporated a matched control group. It was found that training resulted in increased EI and improved health and well being. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unlike the traditional bricks‐and‐mortar marketplace, the online environment includes several distinct factors that influence brand trust. As consumers become more savvy about the Internet, the author contends they will insist on doing business with Web companies they trust. This study examines how brand trust is affected by the following Web purchase‐related factors: security, privacy, brand name, word‐of‐mouth, good online experience, and quality of information. The author argues that not all e‐trust building programs guarantee success in building brand trust. In addition to the mechanism depending on a program, building e‐brand trust requires a systematic relationship between a consumer and a particular Web brand. The findings show that brand trust is not built on one or two components but is established by the interrelationships between complex components. By carefully investigating these variables in formulating marketing strategies, marketers can cultivate brand loyalty and gain a formidable competitive edge.

It is suggested that the four main characteristics of services, intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability and inseparability, greatly increase the degree of perceived risk in the purchase of services by decreasing the certainty with which purchases can be made. A review of the literature shows that the only two studies have considered the difference in risk between goods and services. The present study reports in more detail on the differences in perceived risk, its component losses and of the usefulness of fourteen risk relievers in the purchase of six services. The results confirm the hypothesis that services are riskier than products and that this riskiness is primarily due to extra uncertainty in the purchase of services. The importance of losses and the usefulness of risk relievers for six service offerings are reported and indicate financial loss as being the most important loss and brand loyalty as most important risk reliever.

The area of business process management (BPM) is a relatively new field and there is little academic literature on the subject. This paper critically examines the literature to pinpoint BPM definitions, approaches and principles. A study is reported of a business unit of a “world class” organisation to examine its application of BPM. It was found that the principles of BPM espoused by the corporate organisation and its approach to BPM application is along the lines of best practice as outlined in the literature. However, in the business unit examined, there is an inadequate understanding of BPM and the application of BPM principles is haphazard. For example, it was discovered that employees have too little time to spend on process simplification and improvement and there are too many in‐process measures for process owners to make effective use of the information. It is also pointed out that if BPM is to be truly effective it requires cross‐functional and process orientated management, which is not easy to attain.