Search

• We propose a novel quantitative measurement of place-based symbolic value using computational text analysis of the New York Times travel writing data. • European regions are most well-represented in travel writing and valorized for cultural tourism according to the broadest meanings of culture – its history, art, and food. • When a place's "cultural" values are recognized in non-European regions, the meanings of culture tend to be limited. • Non-European regions, particularly those with legacies of past colonization, are underrepresented in travel writing while primarily valorized for their nature's scenic beauty, obscuring the significance of their "cultural" values. We study the symbolic value of places using the case of global tourism where places are explicitly objectified for valorization. Unlike most prior research that uses tangible measurements like UNESCO's World Heritage Sites for global comparison of place-based symbolic values, we harness the power of computational text analysis to measure the symbolic value of places based on travel writings of the New York Times Travel Section. Our results demonstrate that there is a symbolic hierarchy among places depending on the various meanings of culture and nature and the degree of engagement with either topic. NYT travel writers valorize European regions for cultural tourism according to the broadest meanings of culture, and often engage with the region's history as a main topic of the travel article. However, other regions – particularly the ones with legacies of past colonization – are valorized for their nature's scenic beauty while obscuring the significance of their "cultural" values. Even when a place's "cultural" values are recognized, the meanings of culture tend to be limited in non-European regions. Our findings have implications for the enduring symbolic inequality of places at the global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate the direct impacts of private cars' symbolic value on bus use. • We assume the travel mode choice is affected by the public transit priority policy. • We confirm the effects of private cars' symbolic value on public transit use. • Our findings support the current measures of the public transit priority policy. • It is necessary to change Chinese understandings of using buses and private cars. Because of the symbolic value of the private car, driving a private car is a signal of wealth and a particular social status, but public transit is considered to be a means of transport for low- and middle-income people in the traditional culture of China, especially in face culture. Some prior studies have verified the impact of the symbolic value of the private car on car use and further indirectly speculated about its impact on public transit use, but these studies have seldom focused on the direct effect of the symbolic value of the private car on public transit use. Based on face-to-face questionnaire survey data from a sample of 323 commuters with experience using buses in Changzhou in 2016, this case study examines the relationship among the symbolic value of the private car and passenger satisfaction with bus services and bus use by using binary logit regression. The empirical results show a stable negative association between the symbolic value of the private car and bus use, while the passenger satisfaction with bus services is positively associated with bus use. These findings imply that improving the public transport services is important for the public transit priority policy, and the policy could be more effective if the Chinese traditional understandings of using public transit and private cars are changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typical determinants of office building rental prices include location, height, age, and other tangible features of a building – and this is no exception to green buildings. Although evidence shown that green office buildings command rental premium than comparable non-green office buildings, literature could not fully explain causes of the higher rental prices. In addressing this gap, the aim of this research is to identify possible rental price attributes of green office buildings. More specifically, this study attempts to (1) analyse collective influence of various rental price attributes of green buildings, (2) review methods applied to probe the rental price attributes. The study was conducted by systematic review and meta-analysis on related literature. The result shows that literature identified rental attributes of green buildings using regression analysis, and these attributes are mostly indifferent to those of non-green buildings. Limited attention was given to attributes that are specific to green buildings. More specifically, green office building’ symbolic aspect was not considered when analysing its rental premium. The result will be utilised in subsequent stage of the research project to probe the significance of its impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the key features driving tenants’ decision to or not to lease green and non-green buildings is important for building owners and developers- especially in today's era of sustainable development. Although evidence shown that green buildings could fetch a rental price premium over non-green buildings, it is not known as to what drives tenants’ leasing decision. In addressing this gap, the aim of this study is to develop a conceptual framework for explaining tenants’ leasing decision for green and non-green buildings. More specifically, it attempts to (1) identify key building features of green and non-green buildings, and external influences that could affect tenants’ decision; and (2) review relevant theories underpinning tenants’ behaviours. The research was conducted by using literature survey on related publications, including, but not limited to, books, journal articles, and market and government research reports. The review shows that building features could be broadly classified into: instrumental (i.e. tangible) and symbolic (i.e. non-tangible) aspects and that these two aspects could collectively influence tenants’ decision to lease and pay the price premium for green over non-green buildings. In particular, tenants’ decision on leasing green buildings might not be only driven by mandatory regulations or sustainability features but also by expectations to fulfil different, possibly conflicting, values, and willingness to portray their identity. To probe this, this conceptual framework integrates four different theories; Expectation-value theory, Push-pull theory, Symbolic self-completion theory, and Theory of bounded rationality. This framework will be tested in subsequent stages of the research project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an examination of the ethics of disease eradication policies. It examines three arguments that have been advanced for thinking that eradication is in some way ethically exceptional as a policy goal. These are (1) global eradication has symbolic importance, (2) disease eradication is a global public good and (3) disease eradication is a form of rescue. It argues that none of these provides a good reason to think that individuals have special duties to facilitate eradication campaigns, or that public health authorities have special permissions to pursue them. But the fact that these arguments fail does not entail that global disease eradication is ethically problematic, or that it should not be undertaken. Global eradication of a disease, if successful, is a way of providing an enormous health benefit that stretches far into the future. There is no need to reach for the idea that there is a special duty to eradicate disease; the same considerations that are in play in ordinary public health policy – of reducing the burden of disease equitably and efficiently – suffice to make global disease eradication a compelling goal where doing so is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nations and regions have images, or “brands” that stakeholders often attempt to manage or at least influence. In turn, many products have an association with a region or place, sometimes positively, and sometimes negatively so. These associations interact and shape each other. In this paper we thus argue that for a holistic view of country-of-origin effects, an understanding is needed of both branding of the region, and branding from the region, nation or place in question. Country-of-origin (COO) research has tended to focus upon how geographical associations may assist the marketing of certain products (halo effects) and indeed protect brand images from negative place-based associations (shield effects). The role of symbolic value here is discussed with the explicit assertion that its importance is increasing and that COO effects can be seen as an example of thereof; although these are likely to vary with the product or indeed place under consideration. We seek to develop these ideas by investigating the existence of branding spillovers in the opposite direction i.e. from product to regional image. This is done using the case of Wales via an investigation of three companies engaged with the changing meaning of their own country of origin – and also of the recent marketing initiatives of the Welsh Government itself. In this way the paper seeks to contribute a place-based bridging of the destination management literature and the brand management literature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]