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The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of expatriate adjustment through naturally occurring data. Specifically, through an investigation of three e‐mails sent to the author by a friend, Doug, the paper explores the notion that adjustment is a fluid concept and that through qualitative research methods it is possible to appreciate the expatriate experience in the context of an expatriate's “whole life” of experiences. This is in contrast to positivist approaches to the study of adjustment which offer limited snapshots of adjustment at particular moments in time.

The paper investigates three e‐mails sent by Doug to the author. The e‐mails constitute a form of naturally occurring data, and through forms of narrative analysis the e‐mails are able to be examined to throw light on the process of expatriate adjustment.

The paper highlights ways in which qualitative research methods generally, and specifically when used in relation to expatriates, enable a fuller understanding of the processes of “adjustment” that expatriates experience and its relationship to their life as a “work in progress”. This type of research approach and analysis complements the more positivist study of expatriates. In some aspects it supports research findings on adjustment, but it serves to humanize the independent expatriate and their experience.

The research is a case study of only a single subject. The paper suggests the potential for using naturally occurring data in the study of expatriates and independent expatriates in particular.

Stories of the experiences of expatriation offer insightful and “real” access to the lived experience of the expatriate. In this sense, they can be much more powerful than other forms of cross‐cultural training.

The paper highlights the importance of naturally occurring data and the need to consider “whole lives” in the past and present, of research “participants”.

The application of far-infrared energy to skin is expected to lead to vasodilatation of the skin surface, consequently warming the skin, and promoting sleep induction. The purpose of this paper was to test whether bedsheets impregnated with bioceramic far-infrared technology would improve the perception of sleep in a sample of healthy adults.

Twenty-nine adults consented to participate, randomizing 17 to the far-infrared bedsheets and 12 to the control bedsheets. Two of the control participants dropped out prior to randomization and prior to completing any assessments and therefore are excluded from the analyses. After baseline assessment, participants slept on their randomly assigned sheets for five weeks, followed by a one week “wash out”. Insomnia symptoms were assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index, depression symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire, “vigor” and “fatigue” with the Profile of Mood States, and napping behavior with daily sleep diaries.

During the period of randomization, the participants on the far-infrared sheets reported fewer insomnia symptoms and less napping. This advantage was lost during the wash out period.

Far-infrared technology produces benefits on reported sleep in healthy normal adults.

This chapter investigates how musicians at jazz jam sessions engage in what I term “aggressive emergence.” In so doing, they introduce novelty, unpredictability and creativity in their spontaneous interactions with other musicians. In order to discuss this emergence, a notion of signs in musical communications as indexes, in the Peircean sense, is developed. To produce emergence in the ongoing development of a jam session performance, musicians must produce signs that index new directions that jazz playing can take, such as different rhythmic or harmonic accompaniments, or changes to the volume at which individuals play their instruments.

Examines the advantages of an integrated language strategy for British business vis‐à‐vis the single market. Analyses the importance of languages to individual firms, as they affect the ROI and proposes a language audit as a tool for implementing the strategy with the emphasis on integration of departments and interfacing of language‐related issues. Highlights the pitfalls of unco‐ordinated programmes and the benefits of those which are quality‐oriented, thereby giving UK companies a favourable image in their foreign language business communications.

Doug Scovanner, CFO of Target Corporation, was about to present his proposal at the November 2008 Board meeting. He was prepared to discuss immediate strategic actions which would provide support for working capital for the discount retailer. The retail community was about to suffer their worst fourth quarter in recent memory. Consumer spending had contracted, unemployment was rising and the deflated housing market had driven the economy into a recession. Although discount retailers had fared better than other industries during the second and third quarters, they were not immune to the overall economic downturn which had become a global crisis. To further complicate matters, Target's largest competitor, Wal-Mart, just posted third quarter growth even though Target was bracing for a busy holiday season. Scovanner anticipated further strain on working capital before year-end as cash flow tightened and the capital markets remained at a virtual stand-still.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the work conducted by Manchester Camerata (an internationally renowned and world-class chamber orchestra) programme for people with dementia in one care home in the north west of England. The study aim was to undertake an exploratory qualitative evaluation of experiences of those taking part in its ten week “Music in Mind” programme, namely care home staff, Manchester Camerata musicians/organisational staff, care home activity workers, the assigned music therapist and visiting family carers.

During July-September 2014 a sample of 11 participants was recruited and a total of 19 interviews conducted over ten weeks. All respondents were offered the opportunity to be interviewed more than once. Interview data were supplemented by information gathered at two musicians de-brief sessions and from two activity workers’ diaries. All data was organised using NVivo 10 and thematic analysis applied to the whole data set. People with dementia could not be included in the sample owing to the time limitations on starting and completing the evaluation.

This analytical process generated three overarching themes: Making it Happen, which referred to the contextual, structural and organisational considerations necessary for setting up the engagement programme; Orchestrating Person-centred Care, which addressed the importance of building relationships through person to person communication; Making Musical Connections, which identified the sensory and embodied qualities of live music and the need to capture in-the-moment experiences.

Whilst each of these theme headings has slightly different meanings and applications to each of the participating stakeholders, the evaluation highlights the potential power of improvised music making to equalise and harmonise the group dynamics by co-creating “in-the-moment” experiences.

After the preparatory work described in the previous article, the aims of the new Managers' Advanced Course were crystallised as follows: