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This paper seeks to argue that sociology is in need of reconstruction on a theoretical and conceptual foundation of cybernetics, specifically, managerial cybernetics and to show how this hitherto unsuccessful task might be brought about.

The approach is one of a rigorous and deep querying of the reasons for the lack of successful fit heretofore between sociology and cybernetics. By taking a critical, historical and philosophical approach to the development of sciences it opens possibilities for the reconstruction of sociology as a “new science” based on the foundation of cybernetics, specifically the managerial cybernetics of Stafford Beer.

The work argues that the appropriate conceptual foundation for the social sciences is the realm of communication and control, ideas that were given a rigorous formulation in cybernetics, information theory and systems thinking since the 1940s. Many people have seen the prima facie appropriateness of these ideas for the study of human society and numerous attempts have been made to apply them. Almost, all of these efforts have been failures, at least from a sociological point of view. The paper suggests that the problem with all such previous attempts is that they consisted of too direct an application of cybernetics to sociology, entailing a metaphoric reduction that threatened the intellectual integrity of the discipline. Work in the history of sciences suggests that, whereas deep theoretical, foundational work may well be achieved for a realm in the abstract, so to speak, it is when attempts are made to apply these results to more phenomenal domains, to which in principle they are deemed appropriate and relevant, that problems of an apparent “lack of fit” arise. It has been found that a group of intermediating concepts is necessary to draw the two domains together in a workable fit. This process has been called “finalization of science”.

Of immediate value is the reconstruction of sociology as a cybernetically informed science of society that actually delivers theoretical, analytical, research and practical results.

The paper represents a highly original synthesis drawn from the history and philosophy of science development to yield immediate and useful results.

To establish the concept of identity as the bridging concept of cybernetics and sociology.

The approach is a pincers movement. On the one hand, it is argued that there has been a move towards an identity society; identity is a foundational concept for an understanding of contemporary society. On the other hand, the paper argues that in the work of Beer, identity became the key to his proposal that the VSM is the optimal form of variety management in a social system. The study is based on an extension and application of Finalizierungstheorie to the problem.

Identity is the key concept for the articulation of cybernetics and sociology. There has been a singular failure to apply cybernetic ideas to sociological materials in a manner that has met with the approval and satisfaction of the sociological community. Beer's formulation of the identity phenomenon and its extrapolation in the social sphere proposes a solution to this long‐standing problem.

The approach allows for a broad ranging multi‐level research programme in sociological cybernetics to be formulated and pursued in a manner congenial to the accumulation of a substantial knowledge base ranging from micro‐ to macro‐issues.

This paper presents a unique synthesis of cybernetics and sociology building on and extending the work of Beer in the field of managerial cybernetics.

In the past little has been written on the subject of industrial sabotage. Even the broader consideration of “resistance” of which sabotage could be considered part has been little attempted outside the glamorous subject of strikes. Taylor and Walton adopt an approach derived from the social psychology of deviance, relying on verbal accounts, press reports or hearsay for their data. Their emphasis is on rendering the act meaningful. Brown adopts a perspective which extends their definition of sabotage from deliberate damage to the machine, product or work environment to include deliberate bad workmanship and the withholding of effort. Consequently, he views it as an additional mechanism for negotiating terms and condition of employment, and is concerned with its effectiveness as a strategy.

This paper aims to present the findings of research commissioned by a Primary Care Trust in the UK to assess the implementation of a new pilot Human Givens mental health service (HGS) within primary care.

Participating General Practitioners practices were designated as either “Human givens” or “Control” practices. The study focused on service users with mild to moderate depressed mood measured using HADS. The well-being of these participants was examined at the point of referral, and after four, eight and 12 months using three well-being questionnaires.

The results revealed that emotional well-being significantly improved during the first four months following referral for both groups and this improvement was maintained up to and including one year post referral. Compared to the Control group Human givens therapy was found to be of shorter duration, lasting one or two sessions compared to standard treatment which lasted on average four sessions.

Apart from the psychological insight and emotional support, it is suggested that Human givens therapy might help the client to better function in society and maintain a sense of social integration. This has benefits to other providers of social care.

This paper presents a boundary element formulation for the transient Stokes equations in which the well known closed form fundamental solution to the steady Stokes equations is employed and the time derivative is taken to the boundary with dual reciprocity method. This approach has the advantage of simplicity of formulation and implementation in relation to the alternative boundary element schemes previously presented. In addition in this paper the dual reciprocity method is presented in a more formal mathematical way using well established interpolation theories which guarantee the convergence of the method. Results are presented for a series of three‐dimensional internal problems in which the accuracy of the method is shown.

The purpose of this paper is to develop understanding of cross-cultural issues relating to the experience and implications of an elite grouping of Japanese CEOs customer value orientations (CVOs) within Japanese firms operating in India. The paper underlines that there is a propensity for East-West comparisons and in contrast the argument contributes to the under-examined area of research on East Asian/South Asian comparative studies.

Semi-structured interviews were employed to generate narratives that provided rich and novel insights into the lived experience of Japanese CEOs working in Indian contexts and in relation to CVO. An inductive framework was employed in order to develop a more in-depth understanding of Japanese CEO CVO in Indo-Japanese empirical settings.

The data analysis identified a number of shared themes that influence CVO practice in the Indo-Japanese context. The findings develop an awareness of cross-cultural management's (CCM) in relation to the under-explored area of the Indo-Japanese dyad.

The paper develops CCM perspectives towards a more in-depth conceptualization of Japanese CEO perceptions on CVO practice in India. This is also of potential relevance to wider foreign investors not only Japanese businesses. The sample respondents – Japanese CEOS working in India – constitute a small and elite group. The lead author, having experience as a CEO of a Japanese firm was able to use convenience sampling to access this difficult to access group. In addition, also stemming from the convenience aspect, all the respondents were in the manufacturing sector. The study was deliberately targeted and narrowly focussed for this reason and does not claim automatic wide generalizability to other employee strata or industry; however, other sectors and employees may recognize resonance. This identified gap provides space for future studies in varying regional, national and sector contexts.

The paper identifies implications for CCM training and Indo-Japanese business organization design.

Use and acceptance of the enhanced research paradigm could support diversity in research and knowledge production with implications for research, teaching and future policymakers.

The cross-cultural study is original in that it contributes to CCM literature by providing a rare Indo-Japanese (sic East Asian: South Asian) comparative study. It provides an uncommon granular appreciation of the interaction of these cultures in relation to CVO. In addition, it secures rare data from an elite Japanese CEOs of manufacturing sector businesses.

Successive governments have called for greater “empowerment” of the patient, reflected in the chief medical officer's call for more patient‐related outcome measures (PROM). This paper aims to bring together three‐linked studies.

First study: in 1999, the neurosurgical patient was seen as “expert” to identify PROM outcomes, based upon a patient and carer‐designed self‐administered postal questionnaire in a regional two‐year retrospective survey of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) patients with a 77 per cent response rate, designated treatment‐as‐usual (TAU) cohort (n=142).Second study: in the same region, following the implementing of the specialist neuro‐vascular nurse (SNVN), the SNVN recommendation was evaluated in a two‐year prospective study (n=184) that provided family‐specific psychosocial support and a continuity of care linking hospital and community; the response rate was 87 per cent. Third study: A re‐analysis of the national SAH study (n=2,380), by projecting the TAU and SNVN results onto clinically matched patients within the National cohort to estimate the potential “savings” if all 34 neurosurgical units had an SNVN type service.

First study: respondents identified many psychosocial and fiscal problems but recommended a SNVN to reduce these difficulties. Second study: the TAU and SNVN patient's were a close clinical match and using the TAU as a control group, it was found that there were major psychosocial and fiscal benefits for SNVN patients and carers, who more speedily re‐established their lives.Third study: it was estimated that this would have produced major financial benefits, e.g. 4,165 fewer bed occupancy days, saving £2.5million; reduced time‐off work for patients and carers, saving £8.1million; and, after deducting cost of a national SNVN service, a combined saving for the service and families of an estimated £9.83 million p.a. Thus, addressing PROM outcomes, through an integrated psychosocial service in neurosurgery was cost‐effective, benefited families, the service, and the wider economy and should be a factor when considering pressurised departmental budgets.

Overall, what the two regional studies and the re‐analysis of the national study showed was that there are benefits from treating the “patient as expert” and taking on board their agendas. There is a need for a more integrated approach to treatment and care that is of value to the service, patients, families and the wider economy.

Trauma-focussed cognitive-behaviour therapy (TF-CBT) is the most effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals who present with complex PTSD are among the most complex and challenging patients seen by intellectual disability psychology and psychiatry services. The purpose of this paper is to study TF-CBT intervention for people with intellectual disabilities and complex PTSD.

Three groups of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) presenting with complex PTSD (n=3, n=5 and n=4) were treated using a 12-week manualised intervention adapted from a procedure routinely used in adult mental health services. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale as adapted for people with intellectual disabilities (IES-ID) before and after the intervention, and interviews conducted to ascertain their experiences of the group were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

The ten participants who completed the intervention showed a 27 per cent decrease in median Impact of Event Scale Intellectual Disabilities scores, equivalent to a medium effect size (d=0.50). Five themes were identified from the interviews: being listened to; it is nice to know you are not the only one; being in a group can be stressful; the importance of feeling safe; achieving and maintaining change. Participants also provided constructive feedback to promote improvements to the manual.

A feasibility study followed by methodologically robust clinical trials is now needed to establish the effectiveness of the intervention and its utility in clinical practice.

This small study has confirmed the potential of TF-CBT as an intervention for extremely vulnerable individuals with ID who present with complex PTSD.

The findings indicate that a group intervention is both feasible for and acceptable to adults with ID.

To date, no study has investigated the effectiveness and feasibility of a TF-CBT group intervention for adults with mild ID.

Indian higher education (HE) is arguably “in the doldrums.” Conformity to minimum standards and requirements combined with ever-eroding quality is the serious threats. Many researchers have suggested adopting a functional approach in universities and developing greater autonomy and accountability to improve the situation. The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on the introduction of an integrated way of making teachers more involved in their profession with the intention of enhancing the quality of education and research.

The paper’s argument conceptualizes the possibilities of the Indian HE system benchmarking the concept of high-performance teams (HTPs) as practiced in the industry.

Taking the support from the extant literature, it is proposed that working in HTPs have the potential to elevate the involvement level of the faculty. Furthermore, it is suggested that through the implementation of HTPs in educational settings, teachers would also be able to develop their competencies in relation to research activities.

The model presented in the study has the potential to be empirically tested for its validity and reliability, which opens vistas for future research.