Coventry University

About: Coventry University is a education organization based out in Coventry, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 4964 authors who have published 12700 publications receiving 255898 citations. The organization is also known as: Lanchester Polytechnic & Coventry Polytechnic.

Possible food economies: a methodological framework for exploring food production-consumption relationships

Abstract: Modes of food production–consumption defined as ‘alternative’ have received considerable academic attention, with studies exploring both their potential for contributing to rural development strategies and the opportunities they provide for countering established power relations in food supply systems. However, the use of the term ‘alternative’ as part of a persistent dualism in which it is opposed to the ‘conventional’ is problematic as it loses sight of the specificity of different examples food production–consumption. Based on extensive field research with a series of very different food projects, this article develops a methodological framework which structures a description of how specific examples of food production–consumption are organised with reference to a series of analytical fields. This framework retains a sense of the diversity and particularity of particular cases of production–consumption, and directs attention to the particular locations of resistance to prevalent power relations in food systems that are made possible through different food projects.

Looking under the Bonnet: Factors Affecting Student Adoption of E-Learning Systems in Jordan

Abstract: The primary questions addressed in this paper are the following: what are the factors that affect students’ adoption of an e-learning system and what are the relationships among these factors? This paper investigates and identifies some of the major factors affecting students’ adoption of an e-learning system in a university in Jordan. E-learning adoption is approached from the information systems acceptance point of view. This suggests that a prior condition for learning effectively using e-learning systems is that students must actually use them. Thus, a greater knowledge of the factors that affect IT adoption and their interrelationships is a pre-cursor to a better understanding of student acceptance of e-learning systems. In turn, this will help and guide those who develop, implement, and deliver e-learning systems. In this study, an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was developed to investigate the underlying factors that influence students’ decisions to use an e-learning system. The TAM was populated using data gathered from a survey of 486 undergraduate students using the Moodle based e-learning system at the Arab Open University. The model was estimated using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). A path model was developed to analyze the relationships between the factors to explain students’ adoption of the e-learning system. Whilst findings support existing literature about prior experience affecting perceptions, they also point to surprising group effects, which may merit future exploration.

A review on delignification of lignocellulosic biomass for enhancement of ethanol production potential

Abstract: In the recent past, significant research has been made by thermal, mechanical, chemical and microbial pretreatments in the process of delignification. Production of ethanol from the lignocellulosic material has been done in three major steps: (i) delignification; (ii) depolymerization and (iii) fermentation. Pretreatment has been one of the most expensive processing steps in cellulosic biomass to fermentable sugar conversion. Present review article presents recent advances in the field of delignification. Research article also comprehensively discusses the different pretreatment methods along with effect of delignification on ethanol production and the uses of lignin in different industries. It has been found out that; pretreatment methods have significant impact on production efficiency of ethanol from biomass. This further signifies that, the pretreatment results must be balanced against their impact on cost of the processing steps and the trade-off between operating costs, capital costs and biomass cost.

Construction supply chain integration: an elusive goal?

Abstract: Purpose – To empirically investigate the problems encountered in trying to integrate supply chains in the UK construction industry and to set these problems in the context of the extensive literature on supply chain management and partnering.Design/methodology/approach – A brief review of current supply chain issues in the construction industry is provided. Three case studies of leading construction clients were carried out and these included public and private organisations from different sectors of the economy, public transport, information and communications technology and vehicle manufacturing. A large number of interviews were conducted with the various clients, their main contractors and key subcontractors and suppliers.Findings – The findings reveal that the large number of supply chain partners and the significant level of fragmentation limit the levels of integration that are achievable. The interplay of environmental and procurement related factors renders the realisation of truly integrated sup...