New populations; shifting expectations: The changing experience of Irish rural space and place

This paper presents a summary account of the changing nature of places in the urban fringe in Ireland. As such places are still largely perceived of as rural in nature, this involves a consideration of what constitutes the rural, itself the subject of ongoing debate. Using research conducted in three urban fringe locations in the West of Ireland, the discussion explores how such places are being conceptualised, through an analysis of the lay discourses of a number of residents. These lay accounts of place, particularly the meanings assigned to the rural and the urban, are examined with a view to understanding how spaces and places, still broadly regarded as rural, are being produced, and how both changing and conflicting representations of the rural are altering the experiences of such places.     

Multi-objective allocation: A data-free approach

In urban planning and other fields a number of apparently different problems have two features in common. First, a fixed total of a resource is to be split among several claimants. Second, different interested parties have differing views as to what constitutes an optimum allocation. We present methods for the quantification of preferences and for the production of a compromise optimum. The methods have the merit of being problem independent and sparing in their demands for data and for specialised computer software.     

Schließung von Schulen — Chancen für schulische Innovationsprozesse

Closing down schools — chances of scholar innovative processes. Coaching as support of merging processesThe author discusses chances and risks of processes of school merging processes as an internal coach of a school board. Conditions for success are named for various levels of hierarchy in the school system. This includes an support by means of coaching and supervision.     

Revising and updating the inventory of cross-cultural sensitivity

The following article outlines research conducted to examine cross-cultural sensitivity in a sample of 949 incoming university students in the USA. The study was conducted during the process of updating an existing measure of cross-cultural sensitivity known as the Inventory of Cross-Cultural Sensitivity (ICCS), and to examine the various levels of understanding among the students. Additionally, data were gathered to determine whether there was any relationship between the results and the demographic factors commonly cited in the literature. Results of the study indicate that the updated version of the ICCS, the ICCSv2, is a more robust and reliable measure of intercultural sensitivity for a specific group of freshmen students. Recommendations are made for future research.     

The ends justify the means: The ethical reasoning of environmental public interest groups and their actions

There has been a documented, growing radicalism in the actions of some environmental public interest groups in recent years. In particular, groups pursuing the rights of animals and groups working for the environment have increased their militancy and action. What strikes these authors as curious is the total lack of debate and scholarly inquiry within the management profession over the ethics and tactics of these groups. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the ethics of public interest group activity, offer reasons for the lack of analysis by management researchers, and propose a modest research agenda for future investigations into the ethics of public interest groups.