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1 – 10 of 12The COVID-19 pandemic has caused irrefutable devastation globally. Yet, academic and trade commentators have claimed that this disruption could have had a silver lining by…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused irrefutable devastation globally. Yet, academic and trade commentators have claimed that this disruption could have had a silver lining by presenting the fashion industry with the opportunity to reassess and rebuild in a slower, more considered way. Part of this reassessment, some have argued, may have been allowing the industry's pre-COVID sustainability buzz to come to fruition by nudging the fashion industry to go circular. This paper explores if, and how, the COVID-19 pandemic was (not) nudging the industry towards circularity using the case study of circular textiles.
Design/methodology/approach
Serial, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with three buyers and sourcers working for three UK-based fashion retailers. Each participant was involved in three interviews in June 2020 following the UK's first national lockdown.
Findings
The research findings suggest that, at the time this research was undertaken, these retailers were focussed on regaining profit, protecting their supply chains and producing “safe” designs whilst cutting back and becoming more risk averse. These actors suggested that, in contrast to the suppositions made by academic and media commentators, the COVID-19 pandemic was acting as a hindrance to circularity, not a helping hand, as retailers were less willing to invest in circular textiles at that time than they were pre-pandemic.
Originality/value
This paper offers valuable insight into the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on circular innovation within fashion retail whilst contributing to broader understandings of the principles of the circular economy within textiles and design.
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Ian Pepper, Colin Rogers, James Turner, Nick Louis and Bronwen Williams
This paper aims to explore perceptions and provides insights, from students who volunteer in policing whilst also studying the college of policing licenced professional policing…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore perceptions and provides insights, from students who volunteer in policing whilst also studying the college of policing licenced professional policing degree (PPD) in Wales. It examines issues that act as enablers and blockers to volunteering in this public service, which also provides opportunities to develop their employability towards the careers to which they aspire. The paper provides insights from students and makes recommendations of interest to multiple stakeholders locally, regionally, nationally and internationally regarding attracting and recruiting volunteers.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus groups were conducted with students at three separate universities in the South and West of Wales. These undergraduate students were volunteers in different police forces and agreed to take part in connection with their experiences. The results were analysed using NVivo to establish commonalities.
Findings
The paper provides empirical insights concerning the issues surrounding the way those undergoing the process for recruitment as volunteers within policing are either hindered (blocked) or assisted (enabled). It identifies specific problematic areas as well as areas which have been of assistance. Policy makers, educators and recruiters should be aware of such blockers and enablers when considering adopting volunteering as an opportunity to enhance student employability. It also has resonance for other forms of volunteering in alternate public services.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to those volunteers who are undertaking the licenced PPD at three separate universities in Wales. Although the research adds to the broader evidence-base with regards to volunteering and its use to enhance employability.
Practical implications
The paper includes practical implications for multiple stakeholders including university programme educators, administrators and decision makers in policing with regards to volunteering, employability, programme structures and process management.
Originality/value
The research is based upon the experiences and perceptions of those individuals who are actually engaged in volunteering.
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This study aims to evaluate the quality of information recorded in Behaviour Monitoring Charts (BMC) for Behaviours that Challenge (BtC) in dementia in an older adult inpatient…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the quality of information recorded in Behaviour Monitoring Charts (BMC) for Behaviours that Challenge (BtC) in dementia in an older adult inpatient dementia service in the North of England (Aim I) and to understand staff perceptions and experiences of completing BMC for BtC in dementia (Aim II).
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptive statistics and graphs were used to analyse and interpret quantitative data gathered from BMC (Aim I) and Likert-scale survey responses (Aim II). Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was used to analyse and interpret qualitative data collected from responses to open-ended survey questions and, separately, focus group discussions (Aim II).
Findings
Analysis of the BMCs revealed that some of the data recorded relating to antecedents, behaviours and consequences lacked richness and used vague language (i.e. gave reassurance), which limited its clinical utility. Overall, participants and respondents found BMC to be problematic. For them, completing BMCs were not viewed as worthwhile, the processes that followed their completion were unclear, and they left staff feeling disempowered in the systemic hierarchy of an inpatient setting.
Originality/value
Functional analysis of BMC helps identify and inform appropriately tailored interventions for BtC in dementia. Understanding how BMCs are used and how staff perceive BMC provides a unique opportunity to improve them. Improving BMC will support better functional analysis of BtC, thus allowing for more tailored interventions to meet the needs of people with dementia.
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This chapter presents the first sociological study of outrigger canoe racing, or va'a, in Fiji, a sport deeply embedded in Pacific seafaring heritage. It begins with a brief…
Abstract
This chapter presents the first sociological study of outrigger canoe racing, or va'a, in Fiji, a sport deeply embedded in Pacific seafaring heritage. It begins with a brief history of va'a in Fiji, which emerged in the 1980s as part of a postcolonial ‘revival’ of indigenous cultural practices. The chapter subsequently examines the paddling community's notable inclusivity (in terms of gender, ethnicity, age and body shape), persisting exclusivity (in terms of class and geographical location) and dynamic engagement with the sport's cultural anchoring. A key contention of this chapter is that va'a, in its ongoing social construction, has become simultaneously a competitive sport with modern equipment and structures, a hip and cool recreational activity and a cohesive community with shared commitment to the relational value of the ocean, notwithstanding long-standing power differentials. The sport is hence positioned as integral to living, evolving culture rather than timeless indigeneity.
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This chapter illuminates the formation of imaginaries about Singapore’s Botanic Gardens. YouTubers who showcase the Botanic Gardens in their videos participate in the…
Abstract
This chapter illuminates the formation of imaginaries about Singapore’s Botanic Gardens. YouTubers who showcase the Botanic Gardens in their videos participate in the meaning-making processes surrounding the site. The case study demonstrated how YouTube can empower local video-makers to articulate their ways of seeing the Botanic Gardens and participate in the construction of imaginaries about the site. The researched travel influencers circulated videos containing place images of the attractions and landmarks at the gardens. YouTube videos have increasingly shaped imaginaries about the plant conservatory. Singapore’s Botanic Gardens are examples of place-assemblages interlocked with other assemblages such as the expert systems producing guidebooks for the gardens. The case also shows that digital platforms can amplify neocolonial narratives that describe tourist attractions as objects of consumption and possession, and thereby pre-arrange neocolonial encounters between locals and visitors.
Ramon Benedicto A. Alampay and Omme Atiyah B. Gonting
Tourism value chain (TVC) analysis has been widely used as an alternative approach for designing sustainable and inclusive programs for tourism development in Africa, Asia, and…
Abstract
Tourism value chain (TVC) analysis has been widely used as an alternative approach for designing sustainable and inclusive programs for tourism development in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. This chapter looks at the experiences of three sustainable tourism initiatives in the Philippines to assess the strengths and limitations of the value chain as a framework for destination development. Short case studies describe the experiences of stakeholders in two popular destinations in the Philippines: the surfing town of San Juan, La Union, and the resort-island of Panglao, Bohol. The third case study shares the perspective of the Transforming the Tourism Value Chain (TTVC) project, a national campaign for more sustainable hotels, resort as well as meetings, conventions, incentives, and event (MICE) facilities in various destinations around the country. Stakeholders deeply involved in implementing these projects share their insights on the successes, challenges, and limitations of TVC-based approaches to resilient and sustainable destination development. The destinations' experiences suggest that the advocacy for sustainable management and operations may be comparable to a process of technology adoption or acceptance along the TVC. Practical and theoretical recommendations for leveraging the TVC toward more holistic and sustainable visitor economies are given at the end of this chapter.
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Yongqing Ma, Yifeng Zheng, Wenjie Zhang, Baoya Wei, Ziqiong Lin, Weiqiang Liu and Zhehan Li
With the development of intelligent technology, deep learning has made significant progress and has been widely used in various fields. Deep learning is data-driven, and its…
Abstract
Purpose
With the development of intelligent technology, deep learning has made significant progress and has been widely used in various fields. Deep learning is data-driven, and its training process requires a large amount of data to improve model performance. However, labeled data is expensive and not readily available.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the above problem, researchers have integrated semi-supervised and deep learning, using a limited number of labeled data and many unlabeled data to train models. In this paper, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are analyzed as an entry point. Firstly, we discuss the current research on GANs in image super-resolution applications, including supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised learning approaches. Secondly, based on semi-supervised learning, different optimization methods are introduced as an example of image classification. Eventually, experimental comparisons and analyses of existing semi-supervised optimization methods based on GANs will be performed.
Findings
Following the analysis of the selected studies, we summarize the problems that existed during the research process and propose future research directions.
Originality/value
This paper reviews and analyzes research on generative adversarial networks for image super-resolution and classification from various learning approaches. The comparative analysis of experimental results on current semi-supervised GAN optimizations is performed to provide a reference for further research.
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