Property guardianship is increasingly being viewed as an alternative and, in many cases, a last resort to the unaffordable private rental market. This upsurge in the incidence of…
Abstract
Purpose
Property guardianship is increasingly being viewed as an alternative and, in many cases, a last resort to the unaffordable private rental market. This upsurge in the incidence of guardianship necessarily amplifies the existing legal grey areas and the inherent insecurity and precarity in the sector for guardians. Drawing on interviews with property guardians and archival research, the purpose of this study is to explore the background to the guardianship occupation model; highlight the key problems guardianship generates and, building on this, propose recommendations for reform to the regulatory landscape of guardianship. This study argues that a culture change in property guardianship is needed so that guardians can be better protected, and local authorities empowered to be more proactive in overseeing standards of guardian properties in their areas.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on qualitative semi-structured interviews with 46 property guardians and archival research.
Findings
The author argues that property guardians routinely enter the sector largely as a matter of last resort based on financial considerations or following difficult life experiences. Insecure and precarious, guardianship operates under licence agreements which provide less protection for guardians. Coupled with ambiguity around the application of existing housing legislation to guardianship and research showing non-engagement by local authorities with guardianship, this study suggests regulatory reform is urgently needed.
Originality/value
With traditional residential tenancies in the private rental sector increasingly unaffordable for many and guardianship becoming a viable alternative, this study argues for significant regulatory reform to the guardianship sector to ensure guardians are adequately protected under the law. This study presents a series of proposals to deliver a culture change in the sector.
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Abstract
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This paper aims to reconsider “the crisis” in terms of a failure in dominant economic thinking and to discuss the repercussions for corporate governance.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to reconsider “the crisis” in terms of a failure in dominant economic thinking and to discuss the repercussions for corporate governance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a rational narrative deconstruction of the crisis.
Findings
The paper suggests a new agenda for collaborative research and activism in the direction of more effective governance.
Originality/value
The paper concludes with a radical agenda for a new way of thinking.
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Consumer boycotts are a powerful way to get businesses to changetheir policies, if rather difficult to harness. The author looks indetail at the position of Barclays Bank in South…
Abstract
Consumer boycotts are a powerful way to get businesses to change their policies, if rather difficult to harness. The author looks in detail at the position of Barclays Bank in South Africa, and at Nestlé′s marketing of baby milk to the Third World. The author concludes that management should be aware of their social responsibilities not least because of the economic and corporate image damage which can be inflicted by a concerted consumer campaign.
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Paul W. Ballantine, Richard Jack and Andrew G. Parsons
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of atmospherics in the creation of an hedonic retail experience by comparing the perceived differences between a retail…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of atmospherics in the creation of an hedonic retail experience by comparing the perceived differences between a retail environment attempting to provide an hedonic experience and one with a more utilitarian focus.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology was employed, using protocol analysis and in‐depth semi‐structured interviews that were conducted with ten participants.
Findings
The paper highlights several atmospheric cues and their influence on the hedonic retail experience. The first category of cues – attractive stimuli – were those cues that attracted attention, exciting the participant and eliciting approach behaviours. The second category – facilitating stimuli – included those cues that were necessary in order to facilitate product engagement.
Originality/value
The paper provides a broad categorisation of atmospheric cues, providing factors that shop designers can be aware of when creating a store with the hedonic experience in mind.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on day services and home care for people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on day services and home care for people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Design/methodology/approach
National social care statistics (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) reporting the number of adults with learning disabilities accessing day services and home care were reviewed, with data extracted on trends over time and rate of service use.
Findings
Regarding day services, despite some variations in definitions, the number of adults with learning disabilities in England, Scotland and Wales (but not Northern Ireland) using building-based day services decreased over time. Data from Scotland also indicate that adults with learning disabilities are spending less time in building-based day services, with alternative day opportunities not wholly compensating for the reduction in building-based day services. Regarding home care, there are broadly similar rates of usage across the four parts of the UK, with the number of adults with learning disabilities using home care now staying static or decreasing.
Social implications
Similar policy ambitions across the four parts of the UK have resulted (with the exception of Northern Ireland) in similar trends in access to day services and home care.
Originality/value
This paper is a first attempt to compare national social care statistics concerning day services and home care for adults with learning disabilities across the UK. With increasing divergence of health and social service systems, further comparative analyses of services for people with learning disabilities are needed.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on the living situations of people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on the living situations of people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Design/methodology/approach
National social care statistics (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) reporting the living situations of adults with learning disabilities (residential and nursing care, living with family, other forms of accommodation) were accessed, with data extracted on trends over time and rate of service use.
Findings
There were substantial differences in the statistics collected across the UK. Overall, there were higher reported rates of adults with learning disabilities in residential/nursing accommodation in England than Scotland or Wales, but much lower reported rates of adults living in other forms of unsupported and supported accommodation and much lower reported rates of adults living with their families. In all three countries, trends over time suggest that reductions in residential care towards more independent living options may be stalling. In Northern Ireland reductions in currently extensive residential and nursing care services are continuing, unlike other parts of the UK.
Social implications
Despite similar policy ambitions across the four parts of the UK, statistics on the living situations of adults with learning disabilities report substantial differences.
Originality/value
This paper is a first attempt to compare national social care statistics concerning the living situations of adults with learning disabilities across the UK. With increasing divergence of health and social service systems, further comparative analyses of services for people with learning disabilities are needed.
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Yoon Jeon (YJ) Kim, Yumiko Murai and Stephanie Chang
As maker-centered learning grows rapidly in school environments, there is an urgent need for new forms of assessment. The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and…
Abstract
Purpose
As maker-centered learning grows rapidly in school environments, there is an urgent need for new forms of assessment. The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and implementation of tools to support embedded assessment of maker competencies within school-based maker programs and describes alternative assessment approaches to rubrics and portfolios.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a design-based research (DBR) method, with researchers collaborating with US middle school teachers to iteratively design a set of tools that support implementation of embedded assessment. Based on teacher and student interviews, classroom observations, journal notes and post-implementation interviews, the authors report on the final phase of DBR, highlighting how teachers can implement embedded assessment in maker classrooms as well as the challenges that teachers face with assessment.
Findings
This study showed that embedded assessment can be implemented in a variety of ways, and that flexible and adaptable assessment tools can play a crucial role in supporting teachers in this process. Additionally, though teachers expressed a strong desire for student involvement in the assessment process, we observed minimal student agency during implementation. Further study is needed to investigate how establishing classroom culture and norms around assessment may enable students to fully participate in assessment processes.
Originality/value
Due to the dynamic and collaborative nature of maker-centered learning, teachers may find it difficult to provide on-the-fly feedback. By employing an embedded assessment approach, this study explored a new form of assessment that is flexible and adaptable, allowing teachers to formally plan ahead while also adjusting in the moment.