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"Roberts, Peter"
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Modeling the Optical Impact of the Second-generation Starlink Satellite Constellation
The optical impact of Starlink is of great concern and the Gen1 network is well studied. However, understanding of the planned second-generation (Gen2) constellation containing almost 30,000 satellites with two thirds in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) below 450 km is developing. This work models Gen2 orbital parameters and considers line-of-sight visibility and spacecraft illumination in relation to terrestrial latitude and investigates changes through the day/night transition period. At peak latitudes there will be over 1200 satellites illuminated above the naked-eye horizon that persist long into the local winter night. At higher latitudes in summer spacecraft may then remain illuminated during darkness hours without interruption. For optical astronomy around 90% will be below the observational horizon, still leaving up to 120 in the field of view. Of those illuminated at nightfall, traditional LEO satellites dominate and persist for longer. This is demonstrated at latitudes representing major observatories where VLEO satellites are fully eclipsed 30 minutes after astronomical dusk, but higher layers continue to restrict observations. Broader literature suggests that at nightfall the lower spacecraft may be brighter if larger, but will be out of focus and rapidly transit detectors before quickly eclipsing and so the impact may be further reduced. This work develops understanding of the Starlink Gen2 network and suggests that operators deploying satellites further below the recommend 600 km altitude limit will continue to reduce the impacts on terrestrial optical astronomy; however, that benefit must be considered against the wider environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle to make informed decisions on sustainability metrics.
Journal Article
The Changing Effectiveness of Local Civic Action
We examine changes in the effectiveness of local civic action in relation to changes over time in racial diversity and income inequality. Local civic action comprises situations in which community members come together—typically with support from local organizations—to address common issues. The collective orientation of local civic action makes it sensitive to changes in local social conditions. As these changes unfold, local organizations become differentially able to support civic action. Here, our core argument features the process through which community members associate with different local organizations and how mandated versus voluntary association results in distinct responses to increased social and economic heterogeneity. We test this argument using three decades of data describing local campaigns of the annual Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program. A baseline model shows that within-county increases in racial diversity and income inequality are associated with diminished campaign effectiveness. Subsequent models that separate out campaigns organized by schools, churches, and clubs show that schools are relatively more effective mobilizers as racial diversity and income inequality increase, arguably due to the greater demographic matching that is induced by mandated school participation.
Journal Article
Corporate reputation and sustained superior financial performance
Good corporate reputations are critical because of their potential for value creation, but also because their intangible character makes replication by competing firms considerably more difficult. Existing empirical research confirms that there is a positive relationship between reputation and financial performance. This paper complements these findings by showing that firms with relatively good reputations are better able to sustain superior profit outcomes over time. In particular, we undertake an analysis of the relationship between corporate reputation and the dynamics of financial performance using two complementary dynamic models. We also decompose overall reputation into a component that is predicted by previous financial performance, and that which is 'left over', and find that each (orthogonal) element supports the persistence of above-average profits over time.
Journal Article
Evaluative Schemas and the Mediating Role of Critics
How do critics enable producers and consumers to come to mutually agreeable terms of trade? We propose that critics offer more guidance to those who set prices when their quality assessments are structured by clearer evaluative schemas. Schema clarity enables producers to accurately anticipate the quality assessments that critics will disseminate to the market. This allows their posted prices to center more faithfully on prevailing conceptions of quality. We then argue that the position of a producer within the market's social structure—in terms of its prior coverage, reputation, and niche width—influences the degree to which it is guided by clear evaluative schemas. We test these predictions in the market for U.S. wines. After elaborating a novel approach to inferring the clarity of evaluative schemas within different varietal categories, we demonstrate that list prices are less variable around expected levels when the schemas used to evaluate quality are clearer. Moreover, this effect is stronger among more relevant and more focused producers in each category.
Journal Article
Pilgrimage : the English experience from Becket to Bunyan
This is a collection of essays on pilgrimage, a central feature of medieval and Renaissance English life.
Book
Becoming a podiatrist: an exploration of the practices and processes which underpin the acquisition of a professional identity
BackgroundUndergraduate podiatry degrees are designed to enable students to become professional podiatrists. To be successful students must manage academic and practical activity to ultimately acquire a professional identity. Little is known about the practices and processes which underpin the acquisition of a professional podiatry identity. It is the aim of this paper to begin to address this absence of knowledge. Community of Practice theory, arguably the dominant contemporary learning theory, represents identity shift as an interaction of imagination, engagement and alignment which enables students to successfully participate in higher education, and ultimately, the professional context. This success is underpinned through assisting students to develop an enabling identity in their learning and doing.MethodsHere we present findings that emerged from a yearlong ethnography in a successful higher education podiatry department. The project followed students and staff in the classroom and the clinic and explored their experiences through interviews.ResultsThe findings suggest that the journey to professional identity is facilitated through meaningful learning relationships between staff and students and clarity around professional practices. Here we discuss how those relationships form and enable undergraduates to become podiatrists.ConclusionsOur findings offer a model for the transition from student to professional and highlight the importance of relationship and experience in becoming a podiatrist. There is a paucity of research around not only podiatry but also other allied health professions around this topic and given the increasing emphasis around employability skills in HE, more research in a range of contexts is needed.
Journal Article