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1 – 10 of 640Maria Waling and Cecilia Olsson
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore to what extent teachers eat together with pupils during school lunches and their attitudes toward using these lunches to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore to what extent teachers eat together with pupils during school lunches and their attitudes toward using these lunches to reach the educational goals stated in the Swedish compulsory school curriculum; and second, to study to what degree teachers see themselves and school meal personnel as role models during school lunches.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was completed by 3,629 teachers in Swedish schools.
Findings
In total, 90 percent of the teachers ate lunch together with the pupils one or more days per week. The majority reported that meals were fully (54 percent), or partially (40 percent) subsidized when they were eating with pupils. In total, 72 percent thought that school lunches should be considered part of the school’s educational activities while 28 percent thought that it should be a time to get a break from educational activities. Most teachers thought that school lunches could be useful for learning about the issues of food waste and healthy eating while there were more diverse views on using lunches for learning about fundamental values. A majority of the teachers considered themselves to be role models in the school meal situation.
Practical implications
The authors suggest that the educational component of the school meal per se should be regulated in the Educational Act together with guidelines from the Swedish National Agency for Education.
Originality/value
This study is unique since it covers a previously little studied area; teachers’ attitudes toward using the school lunch situation for educational purposes.
Linda Berggren, Sanna Talvia, Eldbjørg Fossgard, Unnur Björk Arnfjörð, Agneta Hörnell, Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir, Ingibjörg Gunnarsdóttir, Hege Wergedahl, Hanna Lagström, Maria Waling and Cecilia Olsson
Pupils’ perspective should be better taken into account when developing nutrition education at school. The purpose of this paper is to explore Nordic children’s perspectives on…
Abstract
Purpose
Pupils’ perspective should be better taken into account when developing nutrition education at school. The purpose of this paper is to explore Nordic children’s perspectives on the healthiness of meals in the context of school lunches.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 78 focus group discussions were conducted with 10-11-year-old girls and boys (n=457) from schools in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which were participating in the Nordic school meal project ProMeal during the school year 2013-2014. A flexible discussion guide and stimulus material in the form of 14 photographs displaying different school lunch contexts were used. The discussions were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Findings
These Nordic children seem to share the adult-set aim of healthy eating in the school context as a socio-cultural norm. Although healthy eating was constructed as a rational, normative and acceptable way to eat at school, unhealthy eating was emphasized as negotiably acceptable when eaten occasionally and under certain circumstances (e.g. at special occasions). Unhealthy eating also comprised emotionally laden descriptions such as enjoyment and disgust.
Practical implications
Children’s conceptualizations of healthy eating are connected to nutritional, socio-cultural, emotional and normative dimensions, which should be reflected also when developing nutrition education in school.
Originality/value
The need for research exploring children’s experiences of, and understandings about, school lunch motivated this unique multicenter study with a large number of participating children. In the focus groups a child-oriented, photo-elicitation method was used.
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Renard Y. J. Siew, Maria C. A. Balatbat and David G. Carmichael
Buildings/infrastructure are recognised to have a significant impact on the environment and the community, and hence there is pressure on industry practitioners to incorporate…
Abstract
Purpose
Buildings/infrastructure are recognised to have a significant impact on the environment and the community, and hence there is pressure on industry practitioners to incorporate environmental and social considerations in addition to the traditional cost, time and quality. The development of sustainability reporting tools (SRTs) to assist in the management of “green” building/infrastructure projects is pivotal in informing on progress in sustainability practices. However, the rapid growth of SRTs in the last decade, with different criteria and methodology, has created complications for stakeholders.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a comprehensive review of tools to guide practitioners, property investors, policy makers and developers towards making informed choices in “green” building/infrastructure projects. Comparative analyses, benefits and limitations of these tools are discussed in the paper.
Findings
Some of the findings from the analysis of SRTs include: an emphasis on environmental issues; scoring which does not account for uncertainty or variability in assessors’ perceptions; lack of published reasoning behind the allocation of scores; inadequate definition of scales to permit differentiation among projects; and the existence of non-scientific benchmarks.
Originality/value
The paper departs from earlier reviews to include a discussion on infrastructure SRTs, life cycle tools, and issues broader than the environment. Changes and additions, subsequent to earlier reviews, have been made to SRTs, making the updated review provided here useful.
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Villy Abraham, Kerstin Bremser, Mercedes Carreno, Lynda Crowley-Cyr and Maria Moreno
This paper aims to report on the findings emerging from an international study focused on the COVID-19 pandemic impact on travel attitudes and behavioral intentions .
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to report on the findings emerging from an international study focused on the COVID-19 pandemic impact on travel attitudes and behavioral intentions .
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey created with SurveyMonkey was distributed to a sample of 216 international travelers who were at least 18 years of age.
Findings
The findings suggest that attribution theory (locus of control) may account for international travel. Individuals attributing the spread of COVID-19 to their own countries (internal locus of control) are more likely to travel abroad. Statistically significant differences are observed between various generational cohorts concerning perceived travel risk, domestic and international travel.
Originality/value
The impact of a health crisis on domestic and international travels conceptualized in a single model is absent from the literature. The authors propose a model to account for the influence of pandemics on tourists’ attitudes and intentions to travel and whether attribution of blame influences travel destination choices (domestic or international).
摘要
研究目的
本研究旨在报告一项国际研究的发现——该研究主要关注2019冠状病毒(COVID-19)疫情对出行态度和行为意图的影响。
设计/研究方法/路径
通过向216名18岁以上的国际旅行者发放一份由Survey Monkey(“调查猴子”——美国知名网络调查公司)创建的在线调查问卷, 收集样本信息。
研究结果
研究结果表明, 归因理论(控制点)可用于解释与国际旅行相关的行为。将2019冠状病毒(COVID-19)的传播归因于本国(内部控制点)的个体选择出国旅行的概率更高。不同世代的人群在旅行风险感知以及对国内和国际旅行的态度方面, 存在统计学上的显著性差异。
独创性/价值
在现有文献中, 尚未观察到借助单一模型将新冠疫情所致健康危机对国内和国际旅行的影响概念化的研究。因此我们设计了一个模型, 用于阐释新冠疫情对游客出行态度和行为意向的影响, 并揭示归因差异是否影响(国内或国际)旅行目的地的选择。
Resumen
Propósito
En el presente trabajo se muestran los resultados de un estudio internacional centrado en el impacto de la pandemia de COVID 19 sobre las actitudes e intenciones de viaje.
Diseño/Metodología/Enfoque
Se diseñó una encuesta online mediante la aplicación SurveyMonkey que fue distribuida a una muestra de 216 viajeros internacionales mayores de 18 años.
Resultados
Los resultados sugieren que la teoría de la atribución (locus de control) puede ser aplicada para explicar los viajes internacionales. Las personas que atribuyen la propagación de COVID 19 as sus propios países (locus de control interno) tienen más probabilidades de viajar al extranjero. Se observan diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las distintas cohortes generacionales en relación con la percepción de riesgo en los viajes, tanto nacionales como internacionales.
Originalidad/Valor
La conceptualización en un único modelo del impacto de una crisis sanitaria sobre los viajes tanto internacionales como nacionales está ausente de la literatura. Se propone un modelo que pretende explicar la influencia de las pandemias en las actitudes e intenciones de los turistas para viajar y si la atribución de culpas influye en la elección de destino, ya sea nacional o internacional.
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Renard Y.J. Siew, Maria C.A. Balatbat and David G. Carmichael
Over recent years, a number of companies have committed to sharing information relating to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, in response to a higher…
Abstract
Purpose
Over recent years, a number of companies have committed to sharing information relating to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, in response to a higher demand for transparency from stakeholders. This paper aims to explore the impact of such reporting on the financial performance of construction companies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper first examines the state of non‐financial reporting of publicly‐listed construction companies on climate change, environmental management, environmental efficiency, health and safety, human capital, conduct, stakeholder engagement, governance and other matters deemed to be of concern to institutional investors. It then presents the results of an empirical study on the impact of issuing non‐financial reports and the extent of companies’ sustainability practices (represented by ESG scores) on the financial performance of the companies. Financial performance is measured via a range of financial ratios.
Findings
The paper finds that a majority of the publicly‐listed construction companies studied have low levels of reporting, while construction companies issuing non‐financial reports largely outperform those which do not in a number of selected financial ratios, although the correlation between financial performance and ESG scores is not strong.
Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in its use of “hard data”, and it is supported by a wide range of financial ratios; this is distinguished from the existing, largely qualitative literature.
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David G. Carmichael and Maria C.A. Balatbat
The paper looks at the influence of adding more projects on overall investment feasibility under conditions of uncertainty, and how far into the future the project cash flows…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper looks at the influence of adding more projects on overall investment feasibility under conditions of uncertainty, and how far into the future the project cash flows should be relied upon, given that the project owner expects a reasonable level of feasibility attached to the investment.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a formulation for the feasibility of the multi‐project case under uncertainty. A second order moment analysis method is adopted. Existing theory is extended to take into account the presence of multiple projects with a requirement imposed on feasibility by the project owner. In tandem with the theoretical development, example case study numerical results are presented.
Findings
With a conventional deterministic discounted cash flow analysis, the feasibility calculations change little in going from one to many projects. However with uncertainty attached, the feasibility calculations need to be reworked and become more complex, the issue of feasibility becomes less transparent on going from one to many projects, distinct feasibility transition points disappear, and feasibility is found to vary over the projects' time horizons.
Practical implications
The need for the analysis given in this paper resulted from an actual investment decision. The paper formulation provides interesting insight into feasibility calculations, and will be of use to practitioners engaged in front‐end project investment risk work.
Originality/value
The paper provides original commentary on the feasibility of multiple projects and the time‐variant nature of feasibility.
Details
Keywords
David G. Carmichael and Maria C.A. Balatbat
The purpose of this paper is to present an original model, and one of practical use, for a contractor's internal analysis of the likelihood of late and incomplete payments, in an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an original model, and one of practical use, for a contractor's internal analysis of the likelihood of late and incomplete payments, in an uncertain payment environment. Payments typically dominate the thinking of a contractor and the way a contractor operates. The model applies equally to subcontractors, suppliers and consultants.
Design/methodology/approach
The model is based on Markov chains, specially adapted to the problem, where the states are defined as the period of time by which the payment is overdue. In addition, there are special states corresponding to claims that have been paid, and those that need resolution. Transitions between states reflect the payment characteristics on the project (which itself depends on the type of project and the owner‐contractor relationship).
Findings
Real project data confirm the validity of the model. Output from the model can be shown to agree with actual contractor payment data. The output is in terms of probability of payment by a certain date, and mean time to payment for amounts owing. Such information assists the contractor in its financial management practices.
Practical implications
The paper gives a summary approach for contractors. A strength and paradox of the model is its simplicity in usage, yet it overlies hidden more extensive mathematics, which might generally not be known or is necessary to be known to contractors. The model analysis feeds into the contractor's cash flow calculations, overall project risk analysis and accounting procedures.
Originality/value
The paper represents an original contribution to the modelling and analysis of contractor payments.
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Keywords
Katrina Nurthen and Luke van der Laan
The purpose of this scoping literature review was to identify and consolidate all available theories and methods for cold case homicide evaluation, solvability and priority…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this scoping literature review was to identify and consolidate all available theories and methods for cold case homicide evaluation, solvability and priority ranking that would serve to guide a broader exploratory study and future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the findings of a scoping literature review. The review forms part of a broader exploratory study. The scoping literature review sought to identify reported evidence from the extant literature in identifying and defining key concepts relevant to cold prioritisation. It also sought to identify any knowledge gaps relevant to the scoping review question.
Findings
The review suggested that internationally, there is a wide variance and inconsistency in the processes, methods and criteria used by policing agencies to evaluate and prioritise cold cases for investigation. Despite this, there were four themes that could be regarded as [parameters for future cold case research: cold case evaluation and review, prioritisation methods, solvability and prioritisation systems and tools. The review revealed several gaps in the literature. No papers could be found discussing the allocation of individual priority rankings based on any kind of weighted criteria system or model. Further, no information could be found in the available literature on any automated systems, online tools, algorithms, or applications utilised when evaluating or prioritising cases.
Research limitations/implications
The research results are limited in that it is possible that relevant extant literature exists that was not discoverable using the scoping review search strategy.
Practical implications
The paper is a part of a broader exploratory study that seeks to develop a framework for cold case prioritisation that, in a time where public scrutiny has increased, has increased transparency with clearly articulated criteria for evaluation and process.
Originality/value
This paper assimilates the extant literature associated with cold case evaluation and prioritisation and presents a summary of themes and gaps in knowledge that informs future research.
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Ross W. Trethewy and Maria Atkinson
Improved safety, health and environment outcomes through better design are about eliminating or minimising risks in the preliminary planning stages of a product. Better design…
Abstract
Improved safety, health and environment outcomes through better design are about eliminating or minimising risks in the preliminary planning stages of a product. Better design provides a foundation for improved outcomes in the development, use and maintenance of a product like plant and equipment or a building. Improved outcomes in design require the many stakeholders who contribute to the design process to critically review its safety, health and environment implications. Therefore, the client, or end user, must be actively involved in the review to ensure that operational requirements and maintenance issues, intrinsically known to the client, are considered by other design stakeholders. For example, safety, health and environment implications inherent in the design of a building project may exist in its construction, use, maintenance and demolition, i.e. its complete lifecycle. Similar implications exist for the design of other products such as plant or equipment, e.g. its manufacture through to decommissioning.
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Maria I. Livanou, Vivek Furtado and Swaran P. Singh
This paper provides an overview of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales. The purpose of this paper is to delineate the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper provides an overview of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales. The purpose of this paper is to delineate the national secure services system for young people in contact with the youth justice system.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews findings from the existing literature of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services, drawing attention to present facilitators and barriers to optimal transition. The authors examine the infrastructure of current services and highlight gaps between child and adult service continuity and evaluate the impact of poor transitions on young offenders’ mental health and wellbeing.
Findings
Young offenders experience a broad range of difficulties, from the multiple interfaces with the legal system, untreated mental health problems, and poor transition to adult services. Barriers such as long waiting lists, lack of coordination between services and lack of transition preparation impede significantly smooth transitions.
Research limitations/implications
The authors need to develop, test and evaluate models of transitional care that improve mental health and wellbeing of this group.
Practical implications
Mapping young offenders’ care pathway will help to understand their needs and also to impact current policy and practice. Key workers in forensic services should facilitate the transition process by developing sustainable relationships with the young person and creating a safe clinical environment.
Originality/value
Transition of care from forensic child and adolescent mental health services is a neglected area. This paper attempts to highlight the nature and magnitude of the problems at the transition interface in a forensic context.
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