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The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) can be used as an alternative to psychotropic medication to improve the quality of life of an individual with a learning disability and behaviour described as challenging.

A single case design was utilised. A unique PBS stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both (STOMP) clinic model was developed and PBS was used in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. This included functional behavioural assessment, to support understanding of the reasons behind behaviour described as challenging, and a gradual medication reduction.

This case study found that antipsychotic medication used to manage behaviour that challenges could be safely reduced and individual quality of life increased when PBS was used as an alternative.

STOMP is a project supported by NHS England aimed at reducing the inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic medication to manage behaviour that challenges. NICE guidance recommends that behaviour should be more appropriately understood through PBS. More research is needed to demonstrate how the two work together for safe medication reduction and improved quality of life.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate if positive behavioural support (PBS) can be an effective alternative to medication, and can aid medication reduction in people with a learning disability, autism or both who are prescribed psychotropic medication for behaviour thought to be challenging. STOMP is an initiative supported by NHS England which aims to reduce inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic medication, i.e. antipsychotics used for challenging behaviour in the absence of a documented mental health diagnosis. PBS has been described as the first line of intervention for behaviours which challenge, (NICE, 2015) and has been highlighted as a non-pharmacological alternative to, medication.

A two-group, experimental design was utilised. Both groups were considered for medication reduction. The experimental group of 25 people received input from a specialist PBS team, while the control group of 29 people underwent unsupported medication challenge.

There was a significantly higher success rate for medication reduction and discontinuation when PBS assessment and intervention was provided as an alternative to medication.

This study indicates that providing PBS is associated with decreased medication and if replicated should be become standard practice for specialist teams.

This is the first study to investigate the effect of PBS on medication reduction in patients prescribed psychotropic medication for behaviour thought to be challenging.

In this chapter, we develop a conceptual framework on how cultural value can be lost in conflict and created by the arts, artists and arts organisations again and how the arts may also help victims of conflict. We explore examples of the different ways that the effects of cultural engagement are manifested and articulated in the depiction of armed conflict, especially looking at the civil war in Syria (2011–present as of 2020) and discuss three stages in the life-cycle of cultural value. Our conceptual framework of cultural value in the depiction of armed conflict is based on the multifaceted private, public, intrinsic and instrumental benefits of the arts as well as the cultural value created by arts, artists and arts organisations. We discuss universal value at the first stage of a potential loss of cultural value. The second stage addresses the politics of aesthetic value, as the cultural value created by artists and artistic activities which may evolve during armed conflict with examples of two international war artists, John Keane and Ben Quilty. Finally, we review social value as the impact of the cultural value created in overcoming armed conflict as well as restoring and transforming impaired individuals, communities and societies. Within this context, we reinforce the notion of cultural value as an alternative framework for understanding the value constructs surrounding the creation of art in this chapter.

Apprenticeships in England are currently experiencing a revival. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of apprenticeships in England, examine current government policy, and explore current issues around the further development of apprenticeships.

Desk research, including reviewing other research articles and labour market intelligence has been carried out to provide a general overview of the issues.

Apprenticeships have traditionally been regarded as the vocational route to stable employment. Although they have sometimes suffered from a poor reputation they are now becoming an increasingly popular option for both younger and older people. The knowledge economy is driving up the demand for higher level skills and concurrent with this is the notion that, in today's competitive labour market, experience is vital. Not only has this impacted on the popularity of apprenticeships but also upon more traditional “academic” routes such as higher education (HE). In addition it has raised questions about higher level skills and vocational education. The introduction of Higher Apprenticeships and work experience/real world interactions built into HE courses are establishing synergies between the two elements of the skills/education system; however, developing these synergies further is a critical issue for future consideration.

There is a proliferation of publications tracking the nature and value of apprenticeships. This paper traces apprenticeships and their evolution and examines how practices adopted can be applied to newer vocational options being integrated into HE. The paper considers apprenticeships and other vocational options, building on the author's own discussions with employers and recent graduates.

This paper seeks to examine expansions of online brands into the offline market via brand extensions and via brand alliances. Specifically, it aims to compare the formation of reciprocal spillover effects for both strategies.

Empirical survey data are analyzed through a series of standard and hierarchical multiple regressions. Different combinations of online brands, product categories and offline brands are studied.

The main results indicate that: the attitude towards the new product is determined by fit and by the functional offline brand image for alliances, while it is determined by fit and by the emotional and commitment dimensions of online brand image for extensions. Moreover, the online brand image is more vulnerable in brand alliances than in extensions.

This work shows the applicability of commonly used theories in brand extensions and alliances to the online‐offline market expansion. Moreover, these theories allow differences across marketing strategies and across distinct brand image dimensions to be explained.

The results obtained may guide the management of these market expansion strategies. Particularly, the present findings are useful to predict the contribution of each brand image dimension on the attitude towards the new product and upon the feedback effects swaying the online brand image.

This study addresses “a hot topic” in branding by comparing two expansion strategies: brand extensions and brand alliances. This comparison is made within the under‐researched area of online branding, and in a novel scenario that is the online‐offline expansion.

The present research aims to identify critical antecedents of willingness to pay (WTP) for traditional bundles (those comprising only goods or services) in an emerging market context. Further, it differentiates the relative importance of the determinants of customers' WTP according to the bundle type.

Data were collected from Indian customers. The paper uses conjoint analysis with an orthogonal design. The experimental conditions were manipulated using vignettes.

The results indicated that purchase autonomy was considered the most important driver for customer's WTP in the case of traditional bundles. Quality variability, overall bundle quality and complementarity followed autonomy in the order of importance. Moreover, the interaction effects of autonomy and complementarity with bundle type significantly influenced the customer's WTP. Customers had a higher WTP for services bundle in high autonomy and goods bundle in high complementarity situations.

Retailers should allow customers to buy either the entire bundle or its components separately, irrespective of the type of traditional bundle. They should try to make bundles whose perceived quality varies significantly in the target customers. Retailers should try to keep complementary components in the goods-only bundle.

The present study extends the relationship of the WTP with its antecedents to traditional bundles. Earlier studies have only studied these relationships for hybrid (combination of goods and services) bundles. With the current study results, retailers can bundle traditional bundles (goods only and services only).

In his Presidential Address to the Library Association Conference at Eastbourne, in May 1949, Sir Ronald Adam, Chairman of the British Council, included a comprehensive description of the Council's library work in various parts of the world. This address, which also covered the other related activities, such as book‐exhibitions, book‐reviews, presentations of periodicals, and bibliographical publications, was printed in full in the Library Association Record of June 1949 and also in the Library Association's Papers and summaries of discussions at the Eastbourne conference. A reasonably up‐to‐date survey of the Council's libraries overseas is thus available in print, and the present article is accordingly more in the nature of footnotes to Sir Ronald's text than a repetition of the facts given by him. A conspectus of the system of Council libraries as of the end of 1950 is provided as an appendix to this article. Since the Eastbourne Conference there have, of course, been some developments, not all of them, unhappily, forward. There have been new libraries in India, Pakistan, Ceylon, and Indonesia. There has been a decrease in the work in West Africa, due to the transfer, as planned, of the library at Accra to an independent board. There has been a decrease in Europe, owing to the withdrawal, unplanned, of Council libraries, with the rest of the Council's activities, from Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia. There have been one or two smaller libraries closed in other parts of the world, due entirely to cuts in the Council's budget. The year 1951/2 will almost certainly witness further, perhaps major, cessations of library work in several areas; and the general tempo of development is likely to be severely curtailed almost everywhere, simply because of sheer lack of financial means to carry on. In view of the peculiar financial relations which ultimately determine the library development of the Council, as they determine its every other activity, it may be helpful to place the Council's libraries in the setting of the Council's general structure.