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1 – 10 of 27An artificial neural network methodology is used to develop a new measure of contagion using exchange rate data from the Asian Crisis of 1997 and beyond. Connection weight changes…
Abstract
An artificial neural network methodology is used to develop a new measure of contagion using exchange rate data from the Asian Crisis of 1997 and beyond. Connection weight changes during retraining of networks used to forecast exchange rates form the basis of this measure. These weight changes are used in obtaining a contribution factor for independent variables used in a forecasting process. Volatilities of contribution factors form the basis of the measure of contagion obtained. These volatilities are statistically validated through a series of simulations where critical values for them are derived. The measures of contagion obtained are then matched to concurrent economic and financial shocks that occurred during the crisis. It is found that there is good correlation between these events and the contagion measures obtained.
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Expertise in fluid engineering remains the core activity of the BHR Group. Over 46 years it has grown and diversified to meet the needs of its members for software, conferences…
Abstract
Expertise in fluid engineering remains the core activity of the BHR Group. Over 46 years it has grown and diversified to meet the needs of its members for software, conferences, publications, research and development programmes, and hardware production.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of creativity in work-based research and practice to yield deeper understanding of practice situations. Unexpected insights…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of creativity in work-based research and practice to yield deeper understanding of practice situations. Unexpected insights can lead one (or a team) to identify new approaches, tackling workplace issues differently, leading to unexpected outcomes of long-term impact.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on work conducted for a doctoral thesis, investigating the impact of work-based learning for recent masters graduates of a work-based learning programme. Fiction was incorporated into analysis of the data, creating play scripts to represent key aspects of the researcher's perceptions and interpretations for each participant.
Findings
Research participants experienced personal, professional and organisational impact, although there was considerable variability between individuals. Additionally, societal impact was wished for and/or effected. The approach to representation of analysis, which involved fictionalising participants' experiences, created a strong Thirdspace liminality. This appeared to deepen awareness and understanding.
Research limitations/implications
Such approaches can transform the researcher's perspective, prompting insights which lead to further adventure and development in work-based research and practice.
Practical implications
Managers and employees taking creative approaches in the workplace can prompt wide-ranging development and, with professional judgement, be constructive.
Social implications
Managers and employees taking creative approaches in the workplace can prompt wide-ranging development and, with professional judgement, be constructive.
Originality/value
The creation of play scripts, representing an interpretation of participants' stories about their work-based learning experience, is an innovative feature of this work.
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Jessica Borg and Christina M. Scott-Young
There is a need for graduates who can quickly adjust and thrive within the current increasingly dynamic project-based workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to present the…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a need for graduates who can quickly adjust and thrive within the current increasingly dynamic project-based workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to present the employers' perspectives on the work readiness of project management graduates entering the Australian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
To gain the industry's perspective, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants from 18 different construction companies that employ project management graduates.
Findings
Thematic analysis revealed that from the employers' perspective, work readiness constitutes (1) empathic communication, (2) passion and (3) technical construction knowledge. Graduates' areas of strength (e.g. application of technology) and weakness (e.g. responding to confrontational situations) were identified.
Practical implications
The findings provide valuable insights into employers' perspectives of the work readiness of project management graduates which can serve as feedback to universities to assist in aligning their educational programmes with industry needs.
Social implications
While employers recognize that the responsibility for fostering work readiness should be shared between themselves and universities, this research highlights that currently adequate collaboration does not occur. This paper advocates for both universities and employers to be open to engaging in the conversation to enhance graduate work readiness.
Originality/value
No research to date has investigated the work readiness of project management graduates, nor whether their work readiness levels meet employers' requirements. This paper addresses this gap.
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Fionnuala Williams, Mike Warwick, Colin McKay, Callum Macleod and Moira Connolly
This paper aims to investigate the use of Part VI of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (CPSA) for people with Learning Disability (LD) and/or Autism. This is in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the use of Part VI of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (CPSA) for people with Learning Disability (LD) and/or Autism. This is in the context of a recent review commissioned by the Scottish Government into whether the provisions in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (MHA) meet the needs of these groups which would also affect associated legislation such as CPSA.
Design/methodology/approach
All CPSA orders active on the 3 January 2018 were identified and analysed for a number of variables including diagnoses, detention length, level of hospital security and medication use.
Findings
Of the 580 people on CPSA orders, 69 (11.9%) had LD and 27 (4.7%) had possible/definite Autism. Most people with LD (56.5%) did not have a mental illness or personality disorder. Most (81.2%) had mild LD. There were two patients whose only diagnosis was Autism. Mean duration of detention was longer for those with LD than for those without. Most patients with LD alone were prescribed medication (61.5%) and, if in hospital, were managed in low secure units (59%).
Originality/value
The results indicate that people with LD or Autism are differently affected by the application of the CPSA from other people with mental disorders, and that this is potentially discriminatory, if it is not objectively justified . It supports the stance from the recent review that to reduce the potential for discrimination, substantial changes to MHA and CPSA should be considered in the wider review of the MHA in Scotland.
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Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).
Michal Tamuz, Cynthia K. Russell and Eric J. Thomas
Hospital nurse managers are in the middle. Their supervisors expect that they will monitor and discipline nurses who commit errors, while also asking them to create a culture that…
Abstract
Hospital nurse managers are in the middle. Their supervisors expect that they will monitor and discipline nurses who commit errors, while also asking them to create a culture that fosters reporting of errors. Their staff nurses expect the managers to support them after errors occur. Drawing on interviews with 20 nurse managers from three tertiary care hospitals, the study identifies key exemplars that illustrate how managers monitor nursing errors. The exemplars examine how nurse managers: (1) sent mixed messages to staff nurses about incident reporting, (2) kept two sets of books for recording errors, and (3) developed routines for classifying potentially harmful errors into non-reportable categories. These exemplars highlight two tensions: the application of bureaucratic rule-based standards to professional tasks, and maintaining accountability for errors while also learning from them. We discuss how these fundamental tensions influence organizational learning and suggest theoretical and practical research questions and a conceptual framework.