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The argumentativeness measure has been used in more than a 100 studies since 1982. The measure was developed and validated within a US university/college student sample. Despite its intended use, the measure is regularly used outside of the US and outside of the university/college setting without tests of validity. There is also intense debate as to the dimensionality of the measure, with one camp defending the bi-dimensionality of the measure and another proposing uni-dimensionality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the utility of the measure outside of its intended population.

A total of seven samples were collected (n = 1860) from the UK, Germany, France, Turkey, the Philippines, Nicaragua and the US. In this study, Infante and Rancer’s (1982) original 20-item argumentativeness measure was used to assess argumentativeness. Confirmatory factor analyses was used to test content validity.

Fit statistics were consistently poor for the unidimensional factor structure. As there is debate as to whether the measure is uni or bi-dimensional, a bi-dimensional fit was also analysed. The measure performed slightly better in each sample using a bi-dimensional factor structure. However, fit statistics were still poor for each sample.

Specifically, the seven samples are convenience samples. While such a sampling technique does limit the generalizability of a study’s findings, convenience samples are common when using the argumentativeness measure. These results present avenues for exploring the dimensionality of the argumentativeness measure and for revisiting cross-cultural examinations of argumentativeness.

Factor structure is a critical issue in validity. Whether authors specify their prediction or not, factor structure is always hypothesized as part of a study when measurements are used, and therefore, should be examined in every study as part of the scientific process. Making claims about human behaviour based upon measures with mis-specified factor structures or other validity issues can lead to the perpetuation of misinformation within the literature.

This is one of the few studies to empirically explore the psychometric properties of one of the most used measures in argument/conflict research. In doing so, this study enhances the understanding of decades of argumentativeness research.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Spencer Insley.

Spencer gives a short biographical account and is then interviewed by Jerome. Areas covered in the narrative are the misery of mental illness, the prodromal signs of illness, hospital admission and discharge to supported accommodation.

Apart from the losses resulting from a diagnosis of major mental disorder, Spencer also talks about the loss of friendships. His admission to hospital was especially traumatic, leaving him frightened and confused and feeling he was treated like an animal.

While Spencer's is only one story of many, his experiences have a sorry familiarity to them.

Too long denied in the history of psychiatry, service user narratives help us understand the nature of mental suffering and the often inadequate nature of service responses to mental distress.

Involuntary admissions to hospital need to be handled in a more therapeutic manner.

So often it is nurses and occupational therapists who have the most impact on the lives of those with lived experience. Psychiatrists were felt not to be interested in Spencer, whereas his community mental health nurse “Had a genuine interest in what I was doing and how I was getting along”.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the application of integrated assessment (IA) methods to examine the impact of policy changes on Jamaica's sugar industry; also the potential implications for the economy, employment, society, environment and biodiversity.

The project applied the integrated assessment (IA) methodology described in the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP‐WCMC/ETB 2009 document “Biodiversity in Integrated Assessment of Trade Policies in the Agriculture Sector”.

Jamaica's sugar industry has survived because of European Union subsidies, which are now being phased out. The Government therefore decided to divest the industry and refocus it on ethanol production to reduce oil imports. The plan failed, because it depended on factors which were not under the Government's control; specifically, external trade regimes and tariffs. The application of IA identified several possible future scenarios for the industry and developed a solution that would achieve a range of goals, moving away from extensive, low‐value forms of agriculture to intensive, high‐value forms, increasing revenue, profits and skill transfer, while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.

The main limitation is the specific focus on one traditional, uncompetitive industry, so results have to be generalized with caution to other sectors with different characteristics.

This paper draws on a much longer technical report titled “The Sugar Industry in Jamaica” written by Anthony Clayton, K’adamwe K’nIfe and Andrew Spencer for the United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics, Economics and Trade Branch in 2009. This paper focuses on the main conclusions with regard to the use of IA, and updates the findings, demonstrates the utility of IA methods and shows how Governments can use IA to avoid serious, costly policy failures, and increase the chances of successful outcomes.

Film has been used to teach leadership in recent decades, but a review of the literature indicates much of this work is prescriptive rather than empirical. This study sought to understand the effectiveness of film in an undergraduate leadership class by determining learner perceptions of a film analysis assignment and exploring learner ability to identify the stages of group development. A mixed-method approach was undertaken. Learners were surveyed to elicit their perceptions of an essay assignment where they analyzed the stages of group development in the film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In addition, their essays were subject to a content analysis to determine if learners could successfully identify the stages of group development. The survey indicated that learners enjoyed the assignment and preferred film analysis as an assessment of their understanding of group development. The content analysis indicated that learners could identify the stages of group development throughout the movie. However, there was variation in which scenes were representative of the different stages. Future research should explore the distinction between inductive and deductive approaches to content instruction and learner outcomes. Film familiarity and its impact on learner outcomes should also be investigated.

This study considered the use of video conferencing virtual backgrounds with employees located in a large multinational corporate organisation in Ireland and the USA to discern if background images evoking gendered stereotypes of leadership can cue stereotype threat in female technology workers undertaking a leadership activity, thus negatively effecting performance. This study aims to contribute to the body of research on stereotype threat by establishing whether virtual backgrounds used in video conferencing software are inherently identity safe or whether their use could have a negative performance impact on marginalised groups.

Using a mixed methods research design with 22 participants in two countries working in the one large organisation, using two quantitative methods (an experiment and a survey) and one qualitative method (semi-structured interviews), the study examined the relationship between performance on the leadership activity and exposure to gendered backgrounds on a video conference call.

It found that female leaders undertaking a leadership test experienced more anxiety and achieved lower scores on average when exposed to a male-gendered virtual background compared to male colleagues or female leaders exposed to a female gendered background. It was also found that these leaders were aware of the stereotype of leadership being White and male, and showed symptoms of prolonged exposure to stereotype threat in the workplace. While the authors still are working through a post-pandemic environment, it may be judicious for organisations to restrict the use of virtual backgrounds to identity-safe ones, specifically chosen by the company.

The study makes several practical recommendations, indicating actions which can be taken at the individual, team and corporate levels. Re-running this experiment in a more controlled environment with a larger sample set could yield more definitive, statistically significant results and contribute more to the literature.

Some individual impacts were found via the interviews. Male leaders in the organisation need to do more to mentor and endorse their female colleagues. By doing this, they can counter the negative effects of solo status and the subsequent performance degradations of their female counterparts, while also setting an example for other leaders. Participation in the mentoring programme and initiatives such as Dare and value, inclusion, belonging, and equity should be encouraged and supported. Reverse mentoring should also be encouraged among the population of male leaders to aid in allyship and bias-awareness.

Teams should note that a democratic vote is not always the best way to decide on the names of teams, projects or meeting rooms. These may skew towards niche interests that can serve to alienate members of the team who do not associate themselves with that interest. Rather, the teams should strive to be fully inclusive and educated on the need for identity-safety. Team events may also serve to alienate members if teams are not mindful of the need to be inclusive. Activities, such as “go-kart” racing and physical or competitive team events have been highlighted as unsuitable for some team members, and should be avoided in favour of inclusivity.

A significant body of research has documented the effect to which stereotype threat can be triggered by both the physical environment and by the use of various technology media. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the relationship between stereotype threat, defined as “the concrete, real-time threat of being judged and treated poorly in settings where a negative stereotype about one’s group applies” (Steele et al., 2002, p. 385), and video conferencing software features, such as virtual backgrounds.