News

February 2012

06/02/2012: BRASS Co-Director to Lecture on 'The Changing Face of Environmental Regulation'

January 2012

25/01/2012: BRASS Associate writes about Carbon Labels for Guardian professional network
23/01/2012: Research suggests farmers lack confidence in badger vaccination
18/01/2012: BRASS Co-Directors to Advise on Single Environmental Body for Wales

December 2011

01/12/2011: BRASS contributes to new Sage Handbook on Social Marketing

November 2011

22/11/2011: BRASS research offers a cultural explanation of road traffic deaths and injuries
15/11/2011: BRASS Associate Dr Chris Groves debates state of research on happiness and wellbeing
14/11/2011: New Book Published: Business and Environmental Risks
10/11/2011: BRASS Associate, Dr Andrea Collins invited to take part in 'Sport Mega-Event Impacts, Leveraging, and Legacies'
09/11/2011: Welsh Government launches Draft Construction & Demolition Sector Plan
08/11/2011: BRASS Research 'Celebrated' by the ESRC                                                                                                                 05/11/2011: BRASS on discussion panel at the This Is Rubbish Forum & Feast Conference, Machynlleth                                        03/11/2011: BRASS presents findings of Single Use Carrier Bag Research at The Senedd  
02/11/2011: Congratulations to BRASS PhD Scholar, Juma Nyende for a succesful defence of his thesis!

October 2011

25/10/2011: Changes to Bovine TB Testing Unlikely to Deliver Benefits
18/10/2011: The BRASS Challenge Event for Businesses

September 2011

30/09/2011:BRASS Report highlights shoppers confusion on reasons for Welsh carrier bag charge
14/09/2011: Dr Chris Groves presents results of Nanotechnology research project
13/09/2011: BRASS expert to give evidence to Environment and Sustainability Committee 

BRASS Co-Director to Lecture on 'The Changing Face of Environmental Regulation'

BRASS Co-Director Professor Bob Lee will present a lecture at the University of Brighton this week (February 8th) on ‘The Changing Face of Environmental Regulation’.


Professor Lee will discuss whether environmental regulation can move on from its traditional focus on localised impacts of industrial production to address the widespread effects of unsustainable patterns of consumption.


The lecture is open to staff and students at the university.


Earlier this year, Professor Lee was appointed as a Special Advisor to the National Assembly for Wales’ Environment and Sustainability Committee.  The committee will examine the business case into the creation of a single environmental body for Wales by bringing together the Forestry Commission Wales (FCW), Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and the Environment Agency Wales (EAW).

 

 BRASS Associate writes about Carbon Labels for Guardian professional network

BRASS Associate, Dr Adam Corner from the Cardiff School of Psychology continues to write for the Guardian Sustainable Business Professional Network. His latest blog, Why we need to move forward on carbon labelling, explores the potential for carbon labelling to encourage more sustainable consumption. He draws on recent research by The Tyndall Centre, a partner of Cardiff Univeristy which suggests that consumers are confused about carbon labelling and will only improve when more organisations opt to display the carbon footprint of their products so there is more context for sustainable decision making.

For further information, contact Adam at corneraj@cf.ac.uk

Research suggests farmers lack confidence in badger vaccination


Research conducted by the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) and BRASS has found that farmers surveyed in five areas of England lack confidence in a badger vaccine to prevent the spread of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). Farmers also had low levels of trust in the Government’s ability to manage bovine Tuberculosis.

A total of 341 farmers were surveyed during the autumn of 2010 in five areas of England (Devon, Gloucestershire and Cheshire), including the area of the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project (BVDP) where badgers have been vaccinated against bTB. This survey preceded Defra’s announcement in 2011 of their intention to license groups of farmers/landowners to cull badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB in cattle.

In general, 48% of farmers in this study thought that vaccination was a good thing to do, but only a quarter thought that it would help prevent the spread of bTB. Overall, 33% of the farmers that responded to the survey could be said to support badger vaccination, whilst 19% rejected it outright. These attitudes were related to farmers’ views of Defra: less than a quarter of farmers thought Defra could manage vaccination competently; a third thought that the Government’s scientific case for badger vaccination lacked credibility; and the vast majority (89%) believed that it was not their responsibility to pay for vaccination.

Farmers responding to the survey were pessimistic that they were able to do anything about avoiding bTB restrictions: 79% said that it was simply a matter of luck if their cattle got bTB. The majority of farmers (52%) did not think the Government were doing a good job in relation to bTB policy; 80% believed that bTB policy was too influenced by the general public (as opposed to veterinary or agricultural specialists); and 46% did not believe bTB policy decisions in general to have been fairly made.

Lead researcher Dr Damian Maye (CCRI) said: “This research has provided an important preliminary analysis of farmers’ confidence in badger vaccination. The results suggest farmers have cautious views about the role of vaccination to control bTB in cattle. In particular, farmers surveyed were concerned about the practicality of badger vaccination”.

Dr Gareth Enticott , BRASS Research Associate added: “What this research is showing is that farmers are not confident that vaccination will work, partly because they had low levels of trust in the Government’s approach to bovine TB.”

 

BRASS Co-Directors to Advise on Single Environmental Body for Wales

BRASS Co-Directors, Professor Bob Lee and Professor Terry Marsden have been appointed as special advisors to the National Asssembly for Wales' Environment and Sustainability Committee. Their appointments come as part of the committee's review of the Business Case into the creation of a single environment body for wales.

The proposed single environment body would bring together the Forestry Commission Wales, Countryside Council for Wales and Environment Agency Wales. The committee will review the Business Case examining the costs and risks attached to this proposal.  

Professor Lee commented, “The review of the business case will examine issues such as performance risk, finance, regulatory powers, what actual efficiencies will be made as a result of the merger and how the three bodies will fit together as one organisation.”

The business case review is taking place alongside a public consultation into the Single Environmental Body. The intention is to have a shadow body operating from April 2012 with the single environment body formally beginning its work in April 2013.

 BRASS contributes to new Sage Handbook on Social Marketing

BRASS has contributed to the newly published Sage Handbook on Social Marketing. BRASS Director Professor Ken Peattie and BRASS Associate Dr Sue Peattie wrote two chapters examining the evolution of the 'marketing mix' for social marketing and another looking at the application of social marketing to contribute to sustainable development.

This handbook brings together a systematic framework and state of the art thinking to provide complete coverage of the social marketing discipline. It presents a major retrospective and prospective overview of social marketing, helping to define and shape its current and future developments. For academics, this book will fill the gap in comprehensive social marketing literature, while being of interest to policymakers and post-graduate marketing and health studies students alike as it explores the idea that tools used to market fast-moving consumer goods and financial services can also be applied to pressing social problems, such as HIV/AIDS and global warming.

The handbook is edited by Gerard Hastings, Kathryn Angus and Carol Bryant

 

Rule-breaking, risk-taking and road safety
BRASS research offers a cultural explanation of road traffic deaths and injuries

Research conducted by BRASS Associate Member, Dr Peter Wells has discovered that culture and the attitudes of road users towards risk are fundamental in explaining road traffic safety in the UK and around the world.

The research compared rates of death and injury caused by road incidents with the willingness to follow the rules across different countries.  The results found that those countries with a high level of ‘corruption’ (i.e. a measure of the population’s non-compliance towards rules) had higher rates of road traffic deaths and injuries.

The implications of these findings according to the researchers - Dr Peter Wells, and Professor Malcolm Beynon, Cardiff Business School - are that an understanding of the rules and the development of safer vehicles, do not necessarily lead to safer outcomes.

Most road traffic incidents are mainly attributable to human error and taking unnecessary risks.

For instance in the UK, the research found that despite being one of the safest countries in the world for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users; culturally there are distinct high-risk, rule averse behaviours among certain social groups. For example, young men who steal cars in order to go ‘joy riding’ or ‘airbag surfing’, and the so-called ‘born-again’ bikers who return to using a motorbike after some years of absence. Both groups have a notably higher mortality than average.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), if present trends continue, road traffic deaths and injuries are projected to become the third-leading contributor to the global burden of disease and injury by 2020.

The research also explored the social meaning of owning a car and the implications of increasing numbers of vehicles on the road.

“Over time the cultural position of the car has changed, with a stronger emphasis on the car as a protected personal space within which to safely traverse a hostile urban environment.” Dr Wells commented.

However, the growing use of the car has cumulatively resulted in social dysfunction because it has resulted in the contemporary crisis of road traffic deaths and injuries

The outcomes of the research suggest that campaigns to change `hearts and minds', among all categories of road users are at least as important as engineering changes to vehicles and advances in safety technology.

“Putting legal frameworks in place is clearly a starting point and having the resources to enforce such frameworks is also important.

“However, our research suggests that road traffic safety is fundamentally explained by the attitudes of road users, and hence it is a battle for hearts and minds. We need to understand a lot more about how different cultures and sub-cultures engage with motor vehicles, and what the consequences are for road traffic deaths and injuries” Dr Wells added.

This week marks national Road Safety Week (21-27 November 2011) founded by Brake, the national road safety charity. The Week aims to heighten awareness of the carnage on the roads caused by needless deaths and injuries and help prevent road accidents. http://www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/

To view a video detailing the findings of this research, please click here
To download a copy of the Comment and Analysis piece, please click here

 

BRASS Associate Debates State of Research on Happiness and Wellbeing 

BRASS Associate, Dr Chris Groves will join Guardian journalist Madeleine Bunting and Professor Felicia Huppert from Cambridge University next week for a panel debate on the current state of research on happiness and well-being. Dr Groves will argue that how people deal with uncertainty and insecurity are key factors in shaping their well-being, and are not taken into account within what has been called the "happiness agenda". The panel is part of a two day event, Play's The Thing (22-23 November 2011), which will feature debates, workshops and talks on the importance of a variety of different dimensions of human experience to well-being, with creativity and play at the centre.

 

New Book Published: Business and Environmental Risks: Spatial Interactions Between Environmental Hazards and Social Vulnerabilities in Ibero-America

Based on detailed BRASS research led by Dr Diego Vazquez ,  funded across two continents and involving universities in Argentina, Spain and the UK, this book sets out an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to assessing both environmental and social risks in a given territorial area.

Using data from a number of Ibero-American nations, the study combines environmental, socio-economic and geographic factors to construct a set of spatial and technical indicators that measure the social vulnerability and industrial hazardousness of a defined area. Aggregating these indicators in a geographic information system (GIS) allows researchers to assess the potential risk to which a certain area and its population are subject as a result of the environmental deterioration caused by co-located industrial activity.   The authors perform this assessment at two levels: a regional one that identifies average risk over large administrative areas such as provinces, and at a more detailed scale they name the ‘census unit’, to determine the distribution in the locality of risk-laden and contaminating industries. The methodology applied allows for greater accuracy and detail in identifying geographical variations in calculating the levels of risk within a single country. It also facilitates more productive comparisons different countries in Ibero-America. 

To buy a copy of the book, please click here

To read more about Dr Diego Vazquez's research, please click here

 

BRASS Associate, Dr Andrea Collins invited to take part in 'Sport Mega-Event Impacts, Leveraging, and Legacies'

Dr Andrea Collins has been invited to take part in a Think Tank on the topic of 'Sport Mega-Event Impacts, Leveraging, and Legacies' at The University of British Columbia, Canada.

The Think Tank is being organised by the University of British Columbia's (UBC) Centre for Sport and Sustainability, and will bring together 20 leading researchers from across the globe on November 11-12.

The Think Tank is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada and the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Education and Centre for Sport and Sustainability.

You can read more about it here.

 

 Welsh Government launches Draft Construction & Demolition Sector Plan

On the 8th November, the Welsh Government launched the Draft Construction and Demolition Sector Plan.  The plan supports Towards Zero Waste the overarching waste strategy document for Wales. It details the outcomes, policies and actions for these sectors. 

Waste is one of the most important issues facing the Welsh construction industry.  Using more recycled materials and minimising the waste the construction and demolition process is crucial to creating a more sustainable environment. These issues are addressed in the Construction and Demolition Sector Plan consultation document open to responses from stakeholders from 8th November 2011.

The plan seeks to:

  • influence behaviour change;
  • encourage better ways of working;
  • develop partnerships with the third sector; and
  • legislative controls.

The aims will be addressed from design of products or buildings to demolition, recovery and disposal.

The plan was developed through a partnership of the Welsh Government, Constructing Excellence Wales and the BRASS Centre.  The consultation period closes on 31/01/2012, click here to access the document.
 

BRASS Research 'Celebrated' by the ESRC

The ESRC has published a booklet entitled "Celebrating the social sciences: The impact of social science research" which highlights 19 different research projects, accompanied by a video showcasing eight projects in depth with contributions from both the researchers involved and key research users. Both the booklet and video were launched at a celebration event this month attended by over 100 senior academics and policymakers and with guest speakers including David Willetts MP, Minister for Science and Universities and Mark Easton, BBC News Home Editor.

Three BRASS research projects are highlighted within the booklet and video as examples of excellence in social science research impact. Project Bernie, demonstrating the effectiveness of a social marketing approach to tackling the anti-social behaviour of deliberate grassfire-setting in South Wales Valleys communities is featured in both the booklet and video, featuring lead researcher Dr Sue Peattie of the Business School. The interactive online guide to corporate social responsibility for smaller businesses, developed from BRASS research in partnership with accounting body the ACCA, is also highlighted in the video, with contributions from BRASS Researcher Heledd Jenkins, author of the guide. The work BRASS did in partnership with consultants the Future Foundation on consumer response to climate change, and the business insights this generated, is also featured in the booklet. For BRASS to provide two out of the eight video cases highlighting UK best practice in high impact social science research is a considerable achievement, and underlines BRASS's commitment to conducting high quality social science research that really makes a difference.

To download a copy of 'Celebrating the Social Sciences', click here

To view the video, click here

 

BRASS on discussion panel at the This Is Rubbish Forum & Feast Conference, Machynlleth

Adrian Morley presented Brass research and took part in an expert discussion panel at the This is Rubbish Forum & Feast Conference at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth. The event was the finale of This is Rubbish's Wales wide tour promoting awareness of the issue of food waste. Adrian joined a panel with Dr Andy Rees (Head of Waste Strategy, Welsh Assembly Government), Emma Marsh (Head of WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign), and Professor Martin Caraher (Reader in food and health policy at City University) to discuss some of the key issues around the problem of waste in the food system, which amount to approximately 20 million tonnes each year in the UK alone. The conference included a 3 course dinner made completely from ingredients that would otherwise have been discarded.

 

BRASS presents findings of Single Use Carrier Bag Research at The Senedd

On the 1 October 2011, the Welsh Government introduced the first mandatory charge for single use carrier bags in the UK through the implementation of the Single Use Carrier Bag Charge (Wales) Regulation 20101(the Regulations).

A team of researchers from BRASS  recently conducted a survey with members of the public and retailers on the introduction of the new carrier bag charge in Wales. The research produced an analysis of the attitudes, awareness and acceptance of the charge by the public and an analysis of the attitudes of retail companies, their level of understanding of the regulations and WG guidance, how they have introduced the charge (including staff training and record keeping) and how they will disseminate the proceeds from the charge.

The reports author, Lori Frater will present the findings of the research at The Senedd in Cardiff Bay today and ask, among other things, whether Wales is confused when it comes to the carrier bag charge; will the charge actually change behavior; how much knowledge do retailers actually have about the legislation; and ultimately will it make Wales a more sustainable nation?

To view the reports, please click on the links below

Introduction of Single Use Carrier Bag Charge, Wales: Awareness of and Acceptance by Shoppers in Cardiff 
Introduction of Single Use Carrier Bag Charge, Wales 2011: The Retailer Experience: Phase II Report

 

Congratulations to BRASS PhD Scholar, Juma Nyende for a succesful defence of his thesis!

Juma Nyende, BRASS PhD Sholar, has succesfully defended his PhD thesis on Natural resource use, sustainability and property rights: institutional and legal aspects relating to regional cooperation and local governance in the management of Lake Victoria. BRASS would like to offer huge congratulations to Juma!

 

Changes to Bovine TB Testing Unlikely to Deliver Benefits


Planned changes to the way vets are allowed to conduct TB tests could have a dramatic impact on rural veterinary practices and fail to address quality control issues surrounding tests for bovine tuberculosis, research at BRASS has found.

The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) recently announced their intention to require veterinary practices in England to competitively tender for TB tests in specific geographical areas. Proposals from the AHVLA suggest their preferred solution is for a groups of veterinary practices to work together to bid for testing contracts .

Research by BRASS Associate, Dr Gareth Enticott suggests that these plans will have a considerable impact on the provision of rural veterinary services and may not deliver expected financial or quality benefits.

Dr Enticott said: “Rural practices in some parts of the country have become hugely reliant on TB testing: it underwrites their ability to provide veterinary services in rural areas. Practices that miss out on a contract are going to suffer”.

The AHVLA’s preference is for a network of veterinary practices to work together. However, based on research in New Zealand, Dr Enticott warns against this approach: “New Zealand contracted TB testing starting in 2003 but most of the contracts have gone to a state owned enterprise that had previously done all the testing. Veterinary practices have not had much of a look in, and business models that relied on a network of practices to deliver testing were judged too risky as they failed to deliver the required testing”.

Dr Enticott also suggests that the AHVLA will not deliver improvements in the quality of the testing because it ignores the reasons why poor quality testing exists. Dr Enticott’s research suggests that the quality control issues that concern AHVLA are related to the conflicts of interest in the way testing is organised and the lack of enforcement by Animal Health.

“If you are really concerned with quality control,” says Dr Enticott, “the best thing is to have independent testers. Having technicians rather than vets would also help address these problems. In the system advocated by AHVLA, however, the cost of monitoring these quality issues may cost more money than is saved through a competitive system.”

Dr Enticott’s work also finds that male vets are statistically more likely to find cattle infected with bovine TB (bTB) than female vets. Dr Enticott says: “There is no clear reason to explain these differences. One explanation may be that female vets are often younger, newer to bTB testing and less experienced than male vets. This might mean that they are less likely to classify borderline cases as positive. Similarly, older (male) vets may be more likely to classify borderline cases as reactors because of their bTB testing experience or close relationships with farmers.”

Dr Enticott says the results have implications for future quality control methods: “The government has been concerned about the quality of bTB testing for some time. Countries like Ireland already use a system of performance indicators to audit testers. But these results show that method to be too simplistic and could lead to false comparisons between vets. A better way of dealing with quality control would be to reduce the conflict of interest that exists when vets test farmers who are also their clients.”

The BRASS Challenge Event for Businesses

As part of Cardiff University's 'Sustainability Week' and the ESRC'S 'Festival of Social Science', BRASS is co-sponsoring the first in a new series of 'The Challenge, called 'Sustaining Business Success' in Bridgend on 1st November
and in Deganwy on 17th November with learning Management Wales.

The event will host two high calibre speakers. Named as one of the 50 people who could save  the planet by The Guardia and by Time magazine as one of 30 global eco-heroes, Peter Head CBE will discuss how businesses can be led and managed to achieve commercial success while embracing environmental sustainability, at the free event. Awarded the CBE in 2011 for services to civil engineering and the environment, he left Arup in spring this year to set up The Ecological Sequestration Trust.

For the Bridgend event, he will be joined by Dr Calvin Jones of BRASS and for the Deganwy event by BRASS Director, Professor Ken Peattie, who will discuss how businesses can achieve success in a world with
diminished credit, disposable income and natural resources. 

The Challenge provides a unique opportunity to meet, question and learn from some of today’s top business brains in a forum designed to help personal and organisational development.

Last year’s Challenge series proved highly popular with business leaders across Wales. Philippa Hain, of Penarth-based OD Consultancy Transformation Partners, commented: “I came away from each event with new contacts, inspiration about how to lead and drive my own business forward and plenty of practical ideas to take back to my colleagues and clients. I would recommend to anyone engaged in leading and managing people and businesses in Wales to go along and try it for themselves.”

This event is being organised and run in partnership by Leadership & Management Wales and BRASS. It forms part of a programme of events for Cardiff University Sustainability Week 2011.

It ends with a networking lunch. Places are free, but numbers are limited. To book a place, please visit www.lmw.org or phone LMW on 029 2087 6560.

 

 BRASS Report highlights shoppers confusion on reasons for Welsh carrier bag charge


The Welsh Government launches a minimum 5p charge for a single use carrier bag from tomorrow (October 1).
But a new BRASS report shows that shoppers are not clear on the reasons behind the charge.


Researchers at BRASS measured the public’s attitude, awareness and acceptance of the new charge.  The research found that while 70% of shoppers agree with the introduction of the single use carrier bag charge, a significant number believe it has been introduced solely to raise revenue for the government.


Few respondents knew that the funds would not be returned to the Welsh Government . When they learned that the extra charge goes to a charity of the shop’s choice, many shoppers said they would be willing to pay more than the extra 5p.


The report’s author, Lori Frater said: “The public, whilst in agreement with the charge, do have reservations about the reasons why the Welsh Government introduced the charge. Although they are aware of many of the environmental reasons, many of the respondents did hold very strong views that the charge was being introduced solely to raise revenue for the government.”

Of the 600 people interviewed, 85%  were aware that a carrier bag was being introduced. However, 60% believed the charge only applies to plastic and were not aware that it also applies to paper bags. Of those in favour of the charge, only one respondent gave climate change as a reason for their agreement.
Lori Frater said: “Although the majority of shoppers surveyed appear to be accepting of the charge, the Welsh Government now needs to work on the ‘bigger picture’ in terms of changing behaviour itself. The results of this survey have demonstrated that although carrier bags were linked to environmental issues, the majority of respondents viewed carrier bags as the cause of the problem and did not view them as a by-product of over-consumption itself.”


The full report, Introduction of Single Use Carrier Bag Charge, Wales: Awareness of and Acceptance by Shoppers in Cardiff is published by the ESRC Centre for Business, Research, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS).
For a copy, please click here (PDF)

 

Dr Chris Groves presents results of Nanotechnology research project

On the 5th october, BRASS Associate, Dr Chris Groves will be presenting the results from  "Nanotechnology in the UK: A Delphi exercise". The presentation will be given at the fourth in a series of annual Nanotechnology Stakeholder Dialogue Day meetings entitled ‘Potential food applications of nanotechnologies’ focusing on both global and European aspects at the Silken Berlaymont Hotel, Brussels.

This research project brought together an expert panel including representatives of industries using nanotechnology, NGOs, nanoscientists, social scientists, and the policy community to consider the opportunities and obstacles ahead for nanotechnology in the UK  up to 2020. Based on responses given by the panel to detailed questionnaires, the project sets out four possible future scenarios for UK nanotechnology, examining in the process how regulation, investment and public attitudes to science and technology could determine the future state of the industry.

To read the report, please click here

 

BRASS expert to give evidence to Environment and Sustainability Committee 

On 29th September, Dr Calvin Jones of BRASS and CARBS will be one of the first expert witnesses to give evidence to the National Assembly's Environment & Sustainability Committee's inquiry into Energy Policy and Planning in Wales. Dr Jones will help the Committee by 'setting the scene' in terms of Wales' energy mix, and how that might change to respond to climate and energy security imperatives. In late 2009, Calvin outlined the energy issues facing Wales in Wales in the Energy Crunch. The report is available here.

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© 2012 The ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society